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Thousands of civil servants who qualify for retirement under the current legislation, are now in a hurry to leave their jobs, writes Ethnos daily.

The reason is the expected reform of the pension system, which will be introduced after the adoption of the third bailout programme for Greece. The changes will most likely include the scrapping of early retirement and raising of the retirement age

According to Ethnos, the number of civil servants expected to apply for retirement by the yearend is 60,000. In July alone more than 5,500 employees requested to leave, despite assurances by the labour ministry that the new legislation won't affect employees who meet retirement criteria.

The publication indicates that since 2009 the number of civil servants has dwindled by 340,000, most having gone into retirement. The new wave of retirees is expected in September, which seems to come handy for the government because it would spare it some costs for salaries. On the other hand, retirement stampedes are a real bomb for pension funds, which will have to fork out thousands of additional pensions.

At the same time, says Ethnos, government offices are being stripped of staff, and creditors insist that no more than 3,000 be appointed this year. Thus, sectors such as education and health care are expected to face staff shortages.