Key findings
Developing the relevant skills
- How well does Greece’s education system perform? In the 2009 PISA test of 15-year-olds, Greece performs below the OECD average in reading (rank 32), mathematics (rank 39) and science (rank 40).
- How much are Greek citizens undertaking further education? In 2008, only 13% of Greek citizens participated in continuing non-formal education compared to the OECD average of 34%.
- How equal is access to opportunities for further training in Greece? In 2007, 32% of people aged 25-64 with a tertiary-level education participated in formal and/or non-formal education, compared with 4% for people in the same age group with below upper secondary education.
- Should more be done to prevent skills shortages? The unemployment rate rose between 2007 and 2011, and some 41% of Greek employers reported recruitment difficulties in 2011, down from 47% in 2007.
Supplying skills
- Is there scope to improve skill utilisation in Greece through strengthening labour force participation? In 2011, 83.2% of people aged between 25 and 54 were in the labour force, compared to an OECD average of 81%.7The participation rate for prime-age women (aged 25-54) is above the OECD average at 72.7% in 2011 (OECD average 71%).To what extent are Greece’s older workers supplying their skills to the labour market? In 2011, 43% of people aged 55 to 64 were in the labour force, compared to an OECD average of 57.8%.
Using skills
- How smooth is the transition from school to work for Greece’s youth? The employment rate of Greece’s youth in 2011 was 16.3%, compared with the OECD average of 39.3%.In 2011, the unemployment rate of Greece’s youth was 44.4%, a high rate compared with the OECD average of 16.2%.
- Are the qualifications of Greece’s workers well matched with the requirements of their jobs? In 2005, almost 32% of Greece’s workers were over-qualified for their jobs (against the OECD average of 25%), and almost 19% were under-qualified (against the OECD average of 22%). Over-qualified (under-qualified) workers are those who have a higher (lower) qualification than the most common qualification of all other workers in the same occupation.
Key recommendations from the OECD Skills Strategy
A country can develop the relevant skills by encouraging and enabling people to learn throughout life; fostering international mobility of skilled people to fill skills gaps; and promoting cross-border skills policies.
A country can activate the supply of skills by encouraging people to offer their skills to the labour market and retaining skilled people in the labour market.
A country can put skills to effective use by creating a better match between people’s skills and the requirements of their job and increasing the demand for high-level skills.
For more information, see the:
OECD Policy Map on Skills| OECD Skills Strategy | Skills Strategy: Overview
