BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH SDG 8

As an important economy in South-East Europe and a country that has struggled to recover from the devastating impact of the 2008 financial crisis, Greece is a particularly relevant country with respect to SDG 8. Greece recently reaffirmed its commitment to the UN's 2030 Agenda in its latest Voluntary National Review report, while incorporating all 17 SDGs within its national strategies and political plans (Government of the Hellenic Republic, 2022, p. 11). Over the past decade, the Greek economy has remained surprisingly resilient, sustaining steady GDP growth while progressively improving the performance of its labour market. However, Greece still faces significant challenges in achieving economic growth and decent work for all, most notably its structurally weak productivity growth and the persisting barriers keeping disadvantaged groups such as women and youth out of productive employment (Government of the Hellenic Republic, 2022, p. 101; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2024, pp. 10-11).

CURRENT CHALLENGES AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Greece’s labour market has experienced a significant recovery in recent years. Employment has steadily increased and so have real wages, while the unemployment rate declined to 8.9% in 2026, marking some remarkable progress from the peak level of 27.69% reached in 2013 (OECD, 2024, pp. 11-12; United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.). Economic growth has also remained comparatively robust, outpacing the rest of the Eurozone over the last four to five years (OECD, 2024, p. 10).

Despite this remarkable progress, the Greek economy continues to face considerable legacy challenges inherited from the previous decade. While the labour market performance has undoubtedly improved over the past few years, systemic barriers continue to keep a significant part of the workforce out of the labour market, especially women, youth, and vulnerable social groups (Government of the Hellenic Republic, 2022, p. 101). Unemployment rates remain considerably higher than the national average for women and for young individuals aged 15 to 24, while the share of youth not in education, employment or training stood at 13.2% for men and 14% for women in 2025, figures that are still comparatively higher than in other European countries (Hellenic Statistical Authority, 2026, pp. 34-38).

The unfavourable conditions for Greek youth keep fuelling a significant brain-drain phenomenon, aggravating labour shortages in the economy that are only bound to intensify as the country keeps facing unfavourable demographic trends and an employment rate that, in spite of the progress made, still lags behind many other European countries (Government of the Hellenic Republic, 2022, p. 101; OECD, 2024, p. 18).

Moreover, as reported by the OECD (2024), Greek labour productivity remains considerably lower than that of other economies of similar size, partly due to persisting skills mismatches in the labour market and scarce private investment in the economy, which mostly consists of small firms with a limited ability to consistently innovate (p. 13).

However, the Greek government has not remained idle in the face of these challenges, and important reforms have been introduced over the past few years to address these issues. Most notably, major reforms aiming at improving the Vocational Education and Training system and enhancing the effectiveness of upskilling and reskilling programmes are already underway. In addition, Greece recently established a comprehensive microfinance legal framework to improve access to financial resources for small firms that are often excluded from traditional funding channels such as commercial banks (Government of the Hellenic Republic, 2022, pp. 101-102). Such reforms are expected to improve the employability of Greek workers and boost labour productivity across the economy. Overcoming these structural challenges and maintaining the steady course Greece has managed to take so far will be essential to ensure the timely achievement of SDG 8‘s targets.

LIST OF REFERENCES AND USEFUL LINKS

Government of the Hellenic Republic. (2022). Voluntary National Review 2022: on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations High-Level Forum on Sustainable Development. https://hlpf.un.org/sites/default/files/vnrs/2022/VNR%202022%20Greece%20Report.pdf

Hellenic Statistical Authority. (2026). Greece: Sustainable Development Goals 2030: Indicators and Statistics.  https://www.statistics.gr/documents/20181/18878865/sdgs_2026_EN.pdf/c5976f08-4e80-3964-fc28-3b17eda3df26

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). OECD Economic Surveys: Greece 2024. https://doi.org/10.1787/a35a56b6-en

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Country Profile: Greece. Retrieved September 7, 2026, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/grc