IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp7915.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

A Balancing Act at Times of Austerity: Matching the Supply and Demand for Skills in the Greek Labour Market

Author

Listed:
  • Pouliakas, Konstantinos

    (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop))

Abstract

This paper provides an evidence-based assessment of the current situation prevailing in the Greek market for skills and jobs. The synthesis of available skills intelligence for Greece, the country most severely affected by the global economic crisis of 2008, is crucial as it is currently faced with tough decisions regarding the allocation of limited resources in the face of economic austerity. The paper engages in a comparative overview of Greece's performance on flagship Europe 2020 indicators on education and employment in relation to the EU. An empirical analysis of the incidence and determinants of skill mismatches in the Greek and EU job markets is also undertaken, using data from several European data sources. It is argued that a stronger vocational education and training pillar may constitute a valuable option for strengthening the links between the initial educational system and the labour market in Greece. But tackling skill mismatch requires skill development and skill utilization policies in the workplace. A stronger commitment to enhancing the skill content of jobs by employers via the adoption of high performance workplace practices, investment in continuous training, less reliance on casual labour and policies to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the war for talent are necessary if Greece is to make the most of its rich skills reserves.

Suggested Citation

  • Pouliakas, Konstantinos, 2014. "A Balancing Act at Times of Austerity: Matching the Supply and Demand for Skills in the Greek Labour Market," IZA Discussion Papers 7915, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7915
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp7915.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Séamus McGuinness, 2006. "Overeducation in the Labour Market," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 387-418, July.
    2. Maria Karamessini, 2010. "Transition Strategies and Labour Market Integration of Greek University Graduates," GreeSE – Hellenic Observatory Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe 32, Hellenic Observatory, LSE.
    3. Ilias Livanos & Konstantinos Pouliakas, 2011. "Wage returns to university disciplines in Greece: are Greek higher education degrees Trojan Horses?," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(4), pages 411-445, December.
    4. Konstantinos Pouliakas & Ioannis Theodossiou, 2005. "Socio-Economic Differences in the Perceived Quality of High and Low-Paid Jobs in Europe," Labor and Demography 0506002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Livanos, Ilias, 2009. "The Relationship Between Higher Education and Labour Market in Greece: the Weakest Link?," MPRA Paper 16239, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Peter Dolton & Rita Asplund & Erling Barth (ed.), 2009. "Education and Inequality Across Europe," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12921.
    7. George Psacharopoulos, 2003. "The Social Cost of an Outdated Law: Article 16 of the Greek Constitution," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 123-137, September.
    8. Theodoros Mitrakos & Panos Tsaklogou & Ioannis Cholezas, 2010. "Determinants of the wage rates in Greece with an emphasis on the wages of tertiary education graduates," Economic Bulletin, Bank of Greece, issue 34, pages 7-40, September.
    9. Theodore Mitrakos & Panos Tsakloglou & Ioannis Cholezas, 2010. "Determining factors of youth unemployment in Greece with emphasis on tertiary education graduates," Economic Bulletin, Bank of Greece, issue 33, pages 21-62, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Vassilis Monastiriotis & Angelo Martelli, 2021. "Crisis, Adjustment and Resilience in the Greek Labor Market: An Unemployment Decomposition Approach," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 44(1), pages 85-112, January.
    2. Ilias Livanos & Evi Tzika, 2022. "Precarious Employment in Greece:economic crisis, labour market flexibilisation, and vulnerable workers," GreeSE – Hellenic Observatory Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe 171, Hellenic Observatory, LSE.
    3. Livianos, Ilios & Tzika, Evi, 2022. "Precarious employment in Greece: economic crisis, labour market flexibilisation, and vulnerable workers," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115058, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Maria Petmesidou & Periklis Polyzoidis, 2015. "What Policy Innovation For Youth in the Era of Prolonged Austerity? The Case of Greece," Cyprus Economic Policy Review, University of Cyprus, Economics Research Centre, vol. 9(2), pages 35-77, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tassos Giannitsis & Stavros Zografakis, 2015. "Greece: Solidarity And Adjustment In Times Of Crisis," IMK Studies 38-2015, IMK at the Hans Boeckler Foundation, Macroeconomic Policy Institute.
    2. Santiago Budría & Pedro Telhado-Pereira, 2011. "Educational Qualifications And Wage Inequality: Evidence For Europe," Revista de Economia Aplicada, Universidad de Zaragoza, Departamento de Estructura Economica y Economia Publica, vol. 19(2), pages 5-34, Autumn.
    3. Benos, Nikos & Karagiannis, Stelios, 2016. "Do education quality and spillovers matter? Evidence on human capital and productivity in Greece," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 563-573.
    4. Livanos, Ilias & Pouliakas, Konstantinos, 2009. "The Gender Wage Gap as a Function of Educational Degree Choices in an Occupationally Segregated EU Country," IZA Discussion Papers 4636, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Livanos, Ilias, 2008. "The Gender Wage Gap as a Function of Educational Degree Choices in Greece," MPRA Paper 14168, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 19 Mar 2009.
    6. Santiago Budría, 2011. "Are Educational Mismatches Responsible for the ‘Inequality Increasing Effect’ of Education?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 102(3), pages 409-437, July.
    7. Livanos, Ilias & Pouliakas, Konstantinos, 2008. "Returns to education by academic discipline in the Greek labour market," MPRA Paper 14159, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Tassos Giannitsis & Stavros Zografakis, 2018. "Crisis management in Greece," IMK Studies 58-2018, IMK at the Hans Boeckler Foundation, Macroeconomic Policy Institute.
    9. John Sorros & Alkiviadis Karagiorgos & Nikos Mpelesis, 2017. "Adoption of Activity-Based Costing: A Survey of the Education Sector of Greece," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 23(3), pages 309-320, August.
    10. Giuseppe Croce & Emanuela Ghignoni, 2011. "Overeducation and spatial flexibility in Italian local labour markets," Working Papers in Public Economics 145, Department of Economics and Law, Sapienza University of Roma.
    11. McCausland, David & Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2005. "Some are Punished and Some are Rewarded: A Study of the Impact of Performance Pay on Job Satisfaction," MPRA Paper 14243, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Marco Pecoraro, 2014. "Is There Still a Wage Penalty for Being Overeducated But Well-matched in Skills? A Panel Data Analysis of a Swiss Graduate Cohort," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 28(3), pages 309-337, September.
    13. Eleni Kalfa & Matloob Piracha, 2017. "Immigrants’ educational mismatch and the penalty of over-education," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(5), pages 462-481, September.
    14. Amin, Vikesh & Lundborg, Petter & Rooth, Dan-Olof, 2015. "The intergenerational transmission of schooling: Are mothers really less important than fathers?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 100-117.
    15. Kampelmann, Stephan & Rycx, François, 2012. "The impact of educational mismatch on firm productivity: Evidence from linked panel data," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 918-931.
    16. Domadenik, Polona & Far?nik, Daša & Pastore, Francesco, 2013. "Horizontal Mismatch in the Labour Market of Graduates: The Role of Signalling," IZA Discussion Papers 7527, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Panagiotis Pegkas & Constantinos Tsamadias, 2017. "Are There Separate Effects of Male and Female Higher Education on Economic Growth? Evidence from Greece," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 8(1), pages 279-293, March.
    18. Sellami Sana & Verhaest Dieter & Nonneman Walter & Van Trier Walter, 2017. "The Impact of Educational Mismatches on Wages: The Influence of Measurement Error and Unobserved Heterogeneity," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 17(1), pages 1-20, February.
    19. Silvia Vannutelli & Sergio Scicchitano & Marco Biagetti, 2022. "Routine-biased technological change and wage inequality: do workers’ perceptions matter?," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(3), pages 409-450, September.
    20. Lucia Mateos & Ines Murillo & Maria del Mar Salinas, 2014. "Desajuste educativo y competencias cognitivas: efectos sobre los salarios," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 210(3), pages 85-108, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    vocational education and training; Greece; skill mismatch; skills; overeducation; shortages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • I29 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Other
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J69 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Other

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7915. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.