International Symposium on
CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY
Vancouver
5-6 March 2001
GREECE
Country paper
COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK OF POLICIES CONTRIBUTING TO THE CONCERTED EFFORT AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT IN GREECE AND COORDINATING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT
One of the major problems confronting the European Union is that of unemployment, and especially the unemployment of the young. In a world where the revolutionary technological change is causing considerable imbalances in the labour market, the problem of unemployment among the young people and other social groups which are at more risk, like women, has increased dramatically. A key element of this problem is structural unemployment, which means that there is a considerable difference between labour supply and demand at the national and regional levels, and especially for certain skills.
Despite high levels of unemployment, in many European countries, including Greece, many employers still claim that they cannot find enough skilled employees to meet their needs. This structural problem seems to affect especially young people, women and people with special needs. These particular social groups for a number of reasons do not choose a skill or a profession for which there will be a demand at the end of their education/training.
Taking into consideration the above points, as far as Greece is concerned, there is an urgent need for proper vocational guidance and counseling to be closely related to labour market demand and with corresponding training and skill upgrading, in order to assist young people to meet the challenges of the new labour market realities. The required appropriate vocational guidance should be closely correlated to the requirements of the labour market, and both the young people and unemployed adults should be guided towards the required training and re-training which will provide them with the skills in demand. It is therefore important that vocational guidance and counseling should guide people towards the professions and specializations which are in demand at the present as well as the future. These professions and skills should meet the Greek and European labour market realities, as it has been indicated in related studies which have been conducted in Greece and abroad in the last decade[1].
For the above reasons, the Greek Government, with the close cooperation of the Ministries of Labour and Education, decided to proceed with the establishment of the National Centre for Vocational Orientation (EKEP), which aims at the improvement, promotion and coordination of the services concerning vocational guidance and counseling at the national level. Concurrently, EKEP has been assigned the task of contributing to the information system concerning labour market demand, the existing vocational guidance services, and the training programs in all the regions of the country. Furthermore, through the aid of a Leonardo project, is in the process of developing an information center which will become the European guidance source in Greece as part of the European guidance network concerning vocational guidance and training among the current and future European member-States.
The seriousness of the problem concerning unemployment in the E.U. and the urgent need for the adoption of measures of combating unemployment, was expressed by the extraordinary European Council in Lisbon (23-24 March 2000) and the special Conference on the E.U. aid programs (Leonardo, Socrates and Youth), which preceded the Lisbon European Council (17-18 March 2000). The European Council indicated also the need of improving the training and upgrading the skills of the labour force so that it could meet the challenges of the 21st century and thus contribute to the competitiveness and development of the European economies[2]. The conclusions and recommendations also of the experts which took part in the on-line conference organized by the “Andreas Papandreou Foundation” (14-16 March 2000) strengthened the views of the European Council and especially by their suggestion that “the European Governments need to redefine their role: while there may still be some merit in the pursuit of (some of the more successful aspects of) traditional European-style active labour market policy, there is a growing consensus that imaginative passive measures may be more relevant to the current situation, both in light of past European experience with policies of the “active” type and current U.S. experience”. In effect, the experts and political leaders who took part in that on-line conference recommended a balance between the practical aspects of investing in people and developing an active and dynamic welfare state, which the E.U. Governments believe “to be crucial both to Europe’s place in the knowledge economy and for ensuring that the emergence of this new economy does not compound the existing social problems of unemployment, social exclusion and poverty…, and that Europe’s education and training systems adapt both to the demands of the knowledge society and to the need for an improved level and quality of employment”. Furthermore, the Lisbon European Council insisted that all the adapted policies concerning modernization should be shaped in a manner which is consistent to the European values and concepts of social justice[3].
According to related international experiences, the success of the European Council’s proposed effort, will depend to a considerable extent, not only by the choice of policies concerning employment, but also on the coordination and the support of the social partners to the implementation of the measures which will be taken.
The attached graph, proposes a comprehensive framework of activities concerning the planning and the implementation of the concerted efforts of a national employment policy, which with the contribution of all the parties concerned, will have as a major objective the adaptability, mobility and employability of the human resources.
OAED (GREEK MANPOWER EMPLOYMENT ORGANIZATION) which is a major agency of the Ministry of Labour and responsible for the implementation of certain aspects of Government policy to combat unemployment, is currently engaged in the following policies and programs of action designed to improve employment opportunities:
Tackling youth unemployment and preventing long-term unemployment
Guideline 1:
The State will ensure that every unemployed young person is offered a new start before reaching six months of unemployment, in the form of training, retraining, work practice, a job or other employability measure, with a view to effective integration into the labour market.
Policy objectives:
The basic objective of the policy being observed is to prevent unemployment among young people extending beyond six months either by finding them a job, or by offering a choice of different programmes to boost their employability. Unemployment among young people that has already exceeded six months is also to be combated in a similar way. The programmes for boosting employability among young people are specialised according to the specific needs of each target-group, taking into consideration the structural changes taking place in the domestic and international economic environment. A significant role in achieving these objectives is played by the continuous improvement of employment and training structures.
Over the last two years considerable progress has been made in this field. More specifically and as far as the services offered by the National Employment Agency (OAED) are concerned, in 1998 4 Employment Promotion Centres (KPA) were set up, 24 more in 1999, while a further 24 KPA’s went into operation in the first six months of 2000. The transformation of the old OAED employment offices into KPA’s is progressing at a satisfactory pace and is expected to radically change the quality of services provided to the unemployed. Integrated intervention in the problem of unemployment is the objective at the KPA’s with individually tailored support for the unemployed by special advisors and the use of the new Employment Card system.
Integrated intervention for preventing and combating unemployment is being implemented with the introduction of a series of measures (training, work experience, employment, self-employment) which are further tailored to meet special needs in the individual target-groups and the requirements of the labour market. Either special programmes aimed at specific groups (e.g university graduates) are being introduced, or favourable arrangements are being made through existing programmes for specific groups (higher subsidies for women, for the unemployed in pockets of unemployment, etc.). As far as sectoral specialisation within programmes is concerned, projects are being implemented either in sectors in which unemployment is expected to rise, or in those with a serious unemployment problem (e.g. programmes concerning cultural employment have been planned and are being implemented), while special incentives have been incorporated into existing programmes to encourage the unemployed to learn new technologies.
An important part will be played by the Specialist Centres for Continuous Vocational Training (EKESEK) in further improving training programmes and providing a better link to the labour market. Preparation for their operation (equipment, staffing) was completed in 1999 and it is expected that they will be put into operation during the first six months of 2001. An essential contribution to the operation of the EKESEK is being made by the social partners.
In 2001, a greater number of unemployed young people are expected to participate in the programme ‘Young People in Active Life’. Further simplification of implementation procedures to be brought in this year will assist in achieving this objective.
Alongside the programme ‘Young People in Active Life’, the implementation of Stage, the programme for gaining work experience, is continuing and being extended, in close collaboration with enterprises.
OAED implements programmes for initial training in the Apprenticeship Schools and Institutes for Vocational Training (IEK), programmes for continuous and alternate continuous training and other training programmes for unemployed young people that combine theoretical training with practical training. Training programmes for unemployed young people are also being implemented by the Ministry of Labour at the Vocational Training Centres (KEK), the Ministry of Education at the Institutes for Vocational Training (IEK), the Ministry of Merchant Marine at the Training Centres for Merchant Navy Personnel (KESEN), and at other training schools for Merchant Navy personnel, and by the Ministry of Agriculture at the Technical and Vocational Schools for Agriculture. It is also worth mentioning the Ministry of Education’s programme of practical work for students and graduates of Colleges of Technical Education (TEI) and Universities (AEI), as well as the practical work programme for graduates of the Geotechnical Universities lasting one year at the Services of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Guideline 2:
The State will ensure that unemployed adults are also offered a fresh start before reaching twelve months of unemployment by one of the aforementioned means or, more generally, by accompanying individual vocational guidance with a view to effective integration into the labour market.
Policy objectives:
Prevention of long-term unemployment constitutes one of the major objectives of Greek employment policy. Due to the size of the problem, special importance is being placed on this sector - as it is on the sector dealing with unemployment among young people. The objectives in the first two guidelines are to a great extent complementary and are tailored in accordance with age and the duration of unemployment in each group. Just as in the case of the young, in the case of older unemployed people, emphasis is placed on improving Employment Services and offering suitable interventions to prevent long-term unemployment. Particular attention is being paid to dealing with unemployment and to insurance cover for unemployed people approaching retirement age, due to the special problems facing this group.
In 1999 OAED’s ‘Back to Work’ programme constituted the main measure in preventing long-term unemployment among ‘adult’ unemployed people. This programme includes two sub-programmes; the ‘New Jobs’ subsidisation programme and the programme promoting self-employment entitled ‘Young Professionals’ (NEE). A percentage of jobs in both sub-programmes is related to the cultural sector[6]. The ‘Back to Work’ programme was extremely successful during 1999 resulting in more than enough people applying for the jobs announced for both sub-programmes.
Apart from the ‘Back to Work’ programme, OAED implements training programmes for ‘adult’ unemployed people and more specifically, pre-training programmes, continuous and alternate continuous training programmes at the Centres for Vocational Technical Training (KETEK).
OAED’s programme of integrated intervention aims at preventing and dealing with unemployment that is due to mass dismissals brought about by structural changes.
Guideline 3
The state will endeavour to increase significantly the number of persons benefiting from active measures to improve their employability with a view to effective integration into the labour market. In order to increase the numbers of unemployed who are offered training or any similar measure, the member state will in particular fix a target, in the light of its starting situation, of gradually achieving the average of the three most successful Member States, and at least 20%.
Policy objectives:
The transition from passive to active employment policies has constituted a basic objective of Greek employment policies over the last few years. This can be divided into two more specific objectives: first, the improvement of the Employment Services that implement the active employment policies, and secondly, the improvement of programmes for boosting employability in such a way as to take into account the needs of the unemployed and the requirements of the market. We are not simply attempting the quantitative transition from one kind of policy to another, but at the same time, efforts are being made towards an improvement in the quality of services provided for the work force.
Guideline 4:
The state will review and, where appropriate, refocus its benefit and tax system:
- to provide incentives for unemployed or inactive people to seek and take up work or measures to enhance their employability and for employers to create new jobs, and
- in addition it is important to develop a policy for active ageing, encompassing appropriate measures, such as maintaining working capacity, lifelong learning and other flexible working arrangements, so that older workers are also able to remain and participate actively in working life.
Policy objectives – measures:
The improvement of State Employment Services and the programmes they implement aims, among other things, at motivating those persons who are not active in the labour market and at a more effective entry for the work force into the labour market. One step being taken towards subsidised unemployed persons making a more effective entry into the labour market is to involve them in active measures for boosting their employability. Planning these active measures takes into account both the needs of the unemployed and market trends with the result that the unemployed person’s chances of finding a job are increased. Up to present the operation of OAED’s Employment Promotion Centres (KPA) has helped to encourage the unemployed to voluntarily forfeit their unemployment benefit and join a programme on boosting their employability. Moreover hiring unemployed persons receiving unemployment benefit will be a criterion for enterprises to be subsidised by OAED for employing or providing work experience to the unemployed.