Explaining the decline in the employment to population ratio in Greece

• Main Author: Σκούρα, Αγγελική
• Other Authors: Skoura, Angeliki
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Employment to population ratio; Population shares; Decomposition analysis; Αναλογία απασχόλησης προς πληθυσμό; Ανάλυση αποσύνθεσης; Μερίδια πληθυσμού

This dissertation aims to document the changes in employment rates in Greece during the period 1987-2020. Using data from the Labor Force Survey we found that the employment to population ratio in 2020 has been reduced by 4.5% compared to 1987. The reduction was higher for men, compared to the reduction for women. In an attempt to identify the contributing factors of this reduction we apply a decomposition analysis which relies on the effect of the observed changes in population shares and in employment rates for specific age and educational groups. The analysis has been conducted for the total economy and for men and women, separately. We found that the within-age-group declines in employment among young and prime-age adults seems to be the most critical factor in explaining the employment decline. In order to provide possible explanations for these findings we review the relevant literature regarding the developments towards the minimum wages, collective bargaining, demographic change, immigration, and educational attainment.