Greece’s government recently presented new data indicating that the country may be moving from the brain drain of the crisis period to brain gain.
Labor and Social Security Minister Niki Kerameus said the “Rebrain Greece” platform launched in 2023, is gaining momentum in its mission to bring highly skilled Greek professionals back to the country. She added that so far the program has attracted over 2,000 registered workers and businesses.
To encourage Greeks to return home the scheme offers a wage subsidy to 500 of those deemed the brightest and best. It offers a monthly salary of €3,000 (before tax) if they return to Greece as part of the project. The labor ministry will cover 70 percent of the cost.
More than one million left Greece in the period 2010-2022
Greece has experienced a significant brain drain in the aftermath of the economic crisis. Thousands of talented Greeks emigrated to other countries, often in search of better economic opportunities and career prospects. The departure of skilled professionals has deprived Greece of valuable human capital, which is essential for economic growth and innovation.
A recent study by the Institute for Alternative Policies (ENA) reported that between 2010 and 2022, 1.08 million working-age people left the country, of which 234,058 were aged 15-24, 633,680 aged 25-44 years old, and 212,254 aged 45-64.
Of this total, more than 796,000 emigrated during the years of the economic crisis (2010-2018) and over 283,000 did so after the crisis had ended between 2019 and 2022. In both time frames, almost 60 percent of those who emigrated from Greece were from the 25-44 age cohort, the most productive group.
Greece moves from brain drain to brain gain?
Now things seem to be gradually turning. Recent data reveal 2,100 registrations on the Rebrain Greece platform, with 1,900 being professionals with advanced skills.
To date, 200 businesses have posted over 450 job listings, attracting around 1,500 applications from Greeks living abroad. However, the platform still has 600 candidates awaiting matching job opportunities, signaling the need for more companies to participate.
Events to attract talent
In a bid to boost visibility and further engage the Greek diaspora, the Ministry of Labor is organizing a series of events across Europe.
On November 30, an event will be held in Amsterdam, where Kerameus and Deputy Minister Kostas Karagounis will promote the platform alongside major Greek companies like ΟΤΕ, ΕΥ, PPC, ELPE, Pfizer, Metlen (Mytilineos), Demos, Intralot, National Bank, Lamda Development, Papastratos and Titan.
The event will include company presentations and interviews with potential candidates. A similar event is on the calendar for Dusseldorf, Germany, on December 14, with another session scheduled at the Greek Consulate the day prior.
The events are part of a broader government effort to further expand the scope of its much-touted initiative to reverse the brain drain by reintegrating skilled professionals into the country’s workforce.
Managerial positions in demand
Karagounis admitted during an interview with public TV ERT that Greece has a problem filling managerial positions.
“The possibility is given to leading companies to be able to post on Rebrain Greece, the high-skilled jobs they want to fill for their businesses.
“The message we are sending to the Greeks abroad is that they can now return to their homeland, there are good jobs. Large companies in Greece now have different salary criteria. They give fairly large wages, which are on a par with other European countries,” Karagounis claimed.
Related: Study Finds Brain Drain is the Biggest Worry of Greeks and Other Europeans