Greece

188 Pages·2010·4.483 MB·English

by  OECD

Jobs for Youth Jobs for Youth
greece
greece
Improving the performance of youth on the labour market is a crucial challenge in OECD
countries facing persistent youth unemployment. As labour markets become more and
more selective, a lack of relevant skills brings a higher risk of unemployment. Whatever Des emplois pour les jeunes
the level of qualification, first experiences on the labour market have a profound influence
on later working life. Getting off to a good start facilitates integration and lays the
foundation for a good career, while a failure can be difficult to make up.
Ensuring a good start will require co-ordinated policies to bring the education system
closer to the labour market, to help disadvantaged young people to find a job or
participate in a training course and to facilitate the hiring of young people by firms.
OECD has launched a series of reports on the school-to-work transition process in
sixteen countries including Greece. Each report contains a survey of the main barriers
to employment for young people, an assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness
of existing measures to improve the transition from school to work, and a set of policy
recommendations for further action by the public authorities and social partners.
The report is based on the proceedings of a seminar and is published in English only.
However, a French translation of the summary and main recommendations has been
included in this volume.
Already published in the same series:
New Zealand
Australia
Norway
Belgium (in French)
Canada Poland
Denmark Slovak Republic J
o
France Spain b
s
Japan United Kingdom f
o
Korea United States r
Y
Netherlands o
u
t
h

g
The full text of this book is available on line via these links:
r
www.sourceoecd.org/employment/9789264082083 e
www.sourceoecd.org/socialissues/9789264082083 e
c
Those with access to all OECD books on line should use this link: e
www.sourceoecd.org/9789264082083
SourceOecD is the OECD online library of books, periodicals and statistical databases.
For more information about this award-winning service and free trials ask your librarian, or write to
us at [email protected].
-:HSTCQE=U]WU]X:
iSbn 978-92-64-08208-3
81 2010 05 1 P
www.oecd.org/publishing

Jobs for Youth
(Des emplois pour les jeunes)
Greece 2010
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION
AND DEVELOPMENT
The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to
address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at
the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments
and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an
ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy
experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate
domestic and international policies.
The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the CzechRepublic,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea,
Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of
the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD.
OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering
and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions,
guidelines and standards agreed by its members.
This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions
expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the
Organisation or of the governments of its member countries.
ISBN 978-92-64-08208-3 (print)
ISBN 978-92-64-08210-6 (PDF)
DOI 10.1787/9789264082106-en
ISSN 1997-6836 (print)
ISSN 1997-6844 (online)
Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda.
© OECD 2010
You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications,
databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided
that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and
translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for
public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre
français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at [email protected].
FOREWORD – 3
FOREWORD
The OECD’s Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee has
decided to carry out a thematic review of policies to facilitate the transition
from school to work and improve the employment prospects of youth. This
review is a key part of the implementation of the Reassessed OECD
Jobs Strategy.
Sixteen countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France,
Greece, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland,
Slovak Republic, Spain, United Kingdom and United States) have agreed to
participate in the review, which began in 2006 and is now complete.
Drawing from all the country reviews, a synthesis report will be prepared
highlighting the main issues and policy recommendations which will be
discussed subsequently by OECD Employment and Labour Ministers.
In this thematic review, the term youth encompasses “teenagers” (i.e. in
statistical terms, youth aged 15/16-19), as well as “young adults”
(aged 20-24 and 25-29).
This report on Greece was prepared by Glenda Quintini, with the
statistical assistance of Sylvie Cimper and Thomas Manfredi. It is the 16th
and final country report prepared in the context of this thematic review
supervised by Stefano Scarpetta (Head of Division) and Anne Sonnet
(Project Leader). A draft of this report was presented at a seminar held in
Athens on 18 December 2009. The seminar, which was organised by the
Employment Observatory (PAEP) for the Ministry for Employment and
Social Security, brought together representatives of the public authorities
and the social partners, as well as academic experts.
JOBS FOR YOUTH: GREECE © OECD 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS – 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary and main recommendations ................................................................ 11
Résumé et principales recommandations ............................................................ 27
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 47
CHAPTER 1. THE CHALLENGES AHEAD ............................................. 49
1. Demographic projections ......................................................................... 49
2. Youth labour market outcomes................................................................ 51
3. Labour market performance of specific socio-demographic groups ....... 56
4. Key steps in school-to-work transitions: leaving education
and finding the first job ........................................................................... 64
5. The quality of entry jobs .......................................................................... 68
6. Key points ................................................................................................ 78
CHAPTER 2. INITIAL EDUCATION AND LEARNING ON THE JOB .. 81
1. Performance of the Greek secondary education system .......................... 81
2. General measures to improve outcomes of Greek secondary education .... 89
3. Raising the profile and quality of vocational education
and work-based learning .......................................................................... 93
4. Drop-out remedy strategies ................................................................... 100
5. The main challenges facing the tertiary education system .................... 103
6. Work and study...................................................................................... 120
7. On-the-job training ................................................................................ 123
8. Key points .............................................................................................. 124
CHAPTER 3. REMOVING DEMAND-SIDE BARRIERS ..................... 127
1. Economic growth and youth employment ............................................. 127
2. Wages and labour costs ......................................................................... 133
3. Employment protection is strict in Greece ............................................ 140
4. Labour shortages and the skill deficit of Greek university graduates .... 145
5. Key points .............................................................................................. 146
JOBS FOR YOUTH: GREECE © OECD 2010
6 – TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 4. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: REMEDIAL
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYABILITY MEASURES ... 149
1. The role of passive labour market measures for youth .......................... 149
2. The role of active labour market policies for youth............................... 153
3. Activation of unemployed youth through training ................................ 158
4. Activation through subsidised employment .......................................... 161
5. Better support to unemployed youth: drawing from the experiences
of other OECD countries ....................................................................... 167
6. Key points .............................................................................................. 173
Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 175
Boxes
Box 2.1. The role of early-childhood and preschool programmes
in reducing school difficulties of children
from disadvantaged families .................................................... 90
Box 2.2. Raising the age of compulsory participation in learning
in England ................................................................................ 93
Box 2.3. The Finnish and New Zealand experiences with improving
the quality of tertiary vocational education ............................ 117
Box 2.4. The impact of students’ work on future labour market
performance: evidence from a number of OECD countries ... 120
Box 3.1. The minimum wage and youth employment: international
evidence ................................................................................. 137
Box 4.1. Active labour market policies for youth ................................ 156
Box 4.2. Training programmes that work ............................................. 160
Box 4.3. The flexible New Deal in the United Kingdom ..................... 169
Box 4.4. The US Job Corps programme ............................................... 171
Figures
Figure 1.1. Share of youth in the working-age population
in OECD countries, 1975-2025 ................................................ 50
Figure 1.2. Youth employment and unemployment indicators,
Greece, Europe and OECD, 1985-2008 ................................... 52
Figure 1.3. Youth unemployment and employment indicators,
OECD countries, 2008 ............................................................. 53
Figure 1.4. Share of NEET youth, OECD countries, 1997 and 2007 ......... 54
Figure 1.5. NEET dynamics, selected OECD countries,
late 1990s to early 2000s.......................................................... 55
JOBS FOR YOUTH: GREECE © OECD 2010
TABLE OF CONTENTS – 7
Figure 1.6. Incidence of long-term unemployment among youth,
OECD countries, 1998 and 2008 ............................................. 56
Figure 1.7. Youth labour market indicators by gender,
Greece and OECD, 1998 and 2008 .......................................... 57
Figure 1.8. Main reasons for inactivity among out-of-school Greek youth
and exit rates to education and employment, by gender, 2004-05 .. 58
Figure 1.9. Labour market indicators for out-of-school youth,
by qualification, Greece and OECD, 1997 and 2007 ............... 60
Figure 1.10. Youth labour market and education indicators for teenagers
and young adults, Greece and OECD, 1984-2008 ................... 61
Figure 1.11. Unemployment rate of youth aged 15-29 by years
since leaving education and population density
in the area of residence, Greece, 2006-07 ................................ 62
Figure 1.12. Unemployment rate of youth aged 15-29 by population density
in the area of residence, Europe, 2006-07 ..................................... 63
Figure 1.13. Activity status of youth aged 15-29, Greece, 2007 and 1997 .... 64
Figure 1.14. Incidence of temporary work among youth aged 15-24,
by reason, selected European countries, 2007 ......................... 69
Figure 1.15. Incidence of temporary work among new hires and overall,
selected European countries, 2007 ........................................... 70
Figure 1.16. Transition probabilities from temporary work, by age
and educational attainment, Greece, Italy and Spain, 2004-05 .... 71
Figure 1.17. Incidence of temporary work by years since leaving education,
15-24-year olds, Europe, 2007 ....................................................... 73
Figure 1.18. Incidence of part-time work, 15-24-year olds,
selected European countries, 2007 ........................................... 73
Figure 1.19. Incidence of part-time work by age and gender,
selected European countries, 2007 ........................................... 74
Figure 1.20. Incidence of low-paid work by age,
selected European countries, 2006 ........................................... 75
Figure 1.21. Low-pay persistence by educational attainment, Greece,
2004-06 .................................................................................... 76
Figure 1.22. Over-qualification by age and gender,
selected European countries, 2007 ........................................... 77
Figure 2.1. Greek students’ performance, based on PISA 2003 and 2006 ..... 84
Figure 2.2. Estimated difference in performance between vocational
and academic students in selected OECD countries, 2006 ...... 85
Figure 2.3. School drop-outs in OECD countries, 1997 and 2007 ............. 86
Figure 2.4. Level and timing of early school leaving in Greece,
by educational stream, 2003 cohort ......................................... 87
Figure 2.5. Lower secondary drop-out rates in Greece, 1980-2003 ........... 88
Figure 2.6. Enrolment rates in early-childhood education
and care programmes by age, selected OECD countries, 2004 .... 91
JOBS FOR YOUTH: GREECE © OECD 2010
8 – TABLE OF CONTENTS
Figure 2.7. Share of enrollees in general and vocational education,
OECD countries, 2007 ............................................................. 94
Figure 2.8. Activity status seven years after graduation,
by upper secondary stream, Greece, 2007 ............................... 96
Figure 2.9. Inflows into apprenticeships by gender, Greece, 1990-2009 ... 99
Figure 2.10. Tertiary educational attainment rates in OECD countries,
2007 ....................................................................................... 104
Figure 2.11. Survival rates in tertiary education, selected OECD countries,
2004 ............................................................................................... 105
Figure 2.12. Share of university students studying abroad,
OECD countries, 2007 ................................................................. 108
Figure 2.13. Time needed to find the first significant job, Greece,
1998-2000 graduates .............................................................. 109
Figure 2.14. Youth employment and unemployment rates, by time
since graduation and qualification, Greece, 1999 graduates .... 110
Figure 2.15. Job stability, by time since graduation and qualification,
Greece, 1999 graduates .......................................................... 111
Figure 2.16. Hourly wages by gender and qualification, Greece,
2004-07 .................................................................................. 114
Figure 2.17. Internal rate of return to tertiary education, by gender,
selected OECD countries, 2001 ............................................. 115
Figure 2.18. Work and study across OECD countries by age, 2007 .......... 121
Figure 2.19. Incidence of job-related training by duration
of the training course, European countries and United States,
18-22-year olds, early 2000s ........................................................ 124
Figure 3.1. Youth employment rates and GDP, 1986-96 and 1997-2007 .... 128
Figure 3.2. Youth and adult employment rates and economic cycles,
Greece, Spain, United Kingdom and United States,
1985-2007 .............................................................................. 129
Figure 3.3. Quarterly GDP growth, Greece and OECD, 2004-09 ............ 130
Figure 3.4. Youth employment share, selected industries,
Greece and Europe, 2007 ....................................................... 132
Figure 3.5. Median wages of full-time workers by age,
Greece and selected OECD countries, 2006 .......................... 133
Figure 3.6. Labour costs for full-time minimum-wage workers,
selected OECD countries, 2006 ............................................. 140
Figure 3.7. Overall strictness of employment protection
and its three main components, OECD countries, 2008 ........ 141
Figure 3.8. Trial-period length, selected OECD countries, 2008 ............. 142
Figure 3.9. Incidence of non-agricultural self-employment
among employed youth, selected European countries, 2008 ... 144
Figure 4.1. Registered unemployed and benefit recipients, by age,
selected European countries, 2006/07 .................................... 150
JOBS FOR YOUTH: GREECE © OECD 2010