Greek Labour and Social Security Minister Niki Kerameus announced plans for new legislation to restrict artificial intelligence in human resource management during a business lunch at Aegli Zappeiou in Athens.
The meeting was organised on the initiative of job portal kariera.gr following the Athens Career Days 2026 event. Executives from 37 major companies operating in Greece, representing hundreds of thousands of employees, attended the session to discuss pressing workforce challenges.
Corporate leaders focused their discussions on employee recruitment and retention, the impact of artificial intelligence on the evolving job market, and the European Union Equal Pay directive that Greece must implement by November 2026.
Aegli Zappeiou is a historic venue located in the Zappeion Gardens of central Athens, frequently used for major corporate and political gatherings. Its host, kariera.gr, operates as one of the primary recruitment and employment platforms in Greece.
Legislative limits on artificial intelligence in hiring
Addressing the upcoming legislative initiative being prepared by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Kerameus stated that the government intends to set clear boundaries and safeguards against unchecked human resource management by automated systems.
Kerameus explained that the ministry is drafting a new bill designed to place a brake on the unregulated deployment of artificial intelligence in corporate personnel management. She added that the legislative framework will establish specific security mechanisms to protect workers.
Alongside new regulation, the minister called on business leaders to invest heavily in upskilling and reskilling their existing workforce. She noted that while artificial intelligence presents a major disruption that will replace certain roles, it will ultimately create significantly more positions than it eliminates.
Kerameus urged employers to focus internally on staff retraining, emphasizing that companies will require updated skills to a far greater extent than they currently anticipate as workplace technologies advance.
Pensions and vocational training incentives
The minister urged corporate executives to take full advantage of existing government programs, highlighting the absorption of specialized students from vocational schools run by the Public Employment Service, known as DYPA.
DYPA is the national public agency responsible for managing Greek employment services, vocational training academies, and job placement initiatives across the country.
Kerameus also encouraged employers to utilize tax incentives available under the new legal framework governing occupational pensions. She outlined the three structural pillars of Greece's pension system, comprising the primary state fund EFKA as the first pillar, occupational pension funds as the second pillar, and private insurance plans as the third pillar.
EFKA, the Unified Social Security Fund, serves as the main public insurance body handling state pensions in Greece. While Kerameus noted that the first pillar receives continuous state support, she highlighted that occupational pension schemes remain underused across the national economy.
To illustrate the financial incentives available to hiring companies, Kerameus cited the example of an employer offering a 100 euro monthly benefit. Instead of granting a standard wage increase, an employer can deposit 100 euros into an Occupational Insurance Fund with a 100 percent tax exemption on employer contributions, while the employee pays a reduced tax rate of just 2.5 percent upon payout.
Unemployment decline and targeted employment schemes
Reviewing broader labor market trends, Kerameus pointed to a sustained drop in national unemployment rates alongside record highs in total employment. She noted that unemployment stood at 18 percent when the current administration took office and has since fallen to 7.4 percent, marking a reduction of more than 10 percentage points.
Recent statistical data indicates that Greece has reached its highest overall employment level in history, alongside an all-time high in female workplace participation. Kerameus stressed that this progress stems from a coherent state plan executed in partnership with private employers, adding that government efforts to boost employment will continue.
Analyzing demographic data, Kerameus explained that the government broke down the historic 18 percent unemployment rate to identify remaining areas for progress. She observed that significant margins for job growth remain among women, with smaller opportunities among young people and minimal remaining slack among male workers.
To address these specific sectors, the ministry has introduced targeted incentive programs. Under one active scheme, businesses that hire an unemployed mother with a child aged up to 15 years receive an 80 percent wage subsidy.
A second program targets citizens living in mountainous and remote regions who wish to remain in their home communities. Recognizing that many corporate roles are now conducted remotely, the government subsidizes remote work positions at 90 percent for a 12-month period, a measure Kerameus said has generated overwhelming employer interest.
Fiscal space and business leadership responses
When employer representatives asked about potential reductions in social security contributions, Kerameus stated that the government must first establish the necessary fiscal room before implementing cuts, following the approach taken for previous tax and insurance adjustments.
She noted that as economic performance and employment metrics improve, fiscal space is naturally generated, allowing the state to return a growth dividend to wider society through reductions in taxes and contribution rates.
Manto Patsaoura, chief executive officer of Kariera Group, commented on the rapid transformation of the labor market, observing that artificial intelligence is accelerating changes in job profiles, required skills, and future planning. She emphasized that structured dialogue between public authorities and market representatives is vital for transforming real corporate needs into concrete policy initiatives.
Patsaoura added that kariera.gr aims to act as a bridge for this ongoing communication, stressing that the goal is not merely generating a higher volume of jobs, but fostering a higher-quality labor market equipped with modern skills and stronger connections between businesses and job seekers.
Theofilos Vasileiadis, founder and president of kariera.gr, thanked Kerameus for attending the working lunch and expressed appreciation for government action that turns employer feedback into state policy. He noted that the annual gathering has brought ministry officials and business leaders together for six consecutive years to refine the institutional framework governing Greek employment.
Vasileiadis concluded by praising Kerameus as a politician dedicated to understanding practical workplace realities and focusing government attention on initiatives that move the national labor market in a positive direction.
