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Bad times have come for high-level managers in Greece to find work. Particularly disadvantageous are the top managers in the fields of energy, manufacturing and finance, because the economic crisis and the political instability do not allow businesses to make long-term plans and projects. In conditions of uncertainty, according to the human resources management company Manpower, while managers and employees in some sectors lose their jobs, others are seeking specialists, but there are not any.

"Many companies lay off staff because of bankruptcy or because they move their offices abroad, or because they cut their activities and make cuts where they are able to but others, like export companies for example, can not find appropriate managers," explains Venetia Kousia - the executive manager of the human resources management company Manpower. This phenomenon is expected to continue until the future of the Greek economy in the muddy waters of the unstable euro area gets clear.

According to the survey the company conducted, senior executives who work in the still surviving Greek companies have no intention to seek new opportunities.

And why should they when the CEO of the company that manages the Greek metropolitan airport Elevteros Venizelos Yannis Parashis recently signed a five-year contract with a € 650,000 annual salary. Economic analysts comment that his salary is shocking, given that the bankrupt Greek public sector still owns 55% of the airport. The Greek media made a comparison with the annual salary of Barack Obama and it turned out that the president of one of the strongest economies in the world takes a half less than the salary of the CEO of the Athens airport.

While top managers are fighting to keep their place in the sun until the storm passes, those who are already unemployed seek opportunities outside Greece.

In general, executives in the country do not expect the business climate to improve in the near future. According to the Executive Manager of Cornerstone Athens Nikos Yanoulis, the survey of senior managers in major Greek companies shows that 65% of them will not resort to new appointments in the coming year. One in seven said he plans to invest in additional staff training, rather than to make new appointments and 68% of them are adamant that if the regulatory framework of the country stabilizes, the economy will recover.

It is crucial whether the global economic recession is close to its end or not. 31% of the big business players express uncertainty, while 21% believe that things have not yet reached the bottom. In terms of regions, more than 50% of the managers believe that the government has not done enough to develop economic opportunities for local governments. The priorities of business managers include also expansion of the company. This is the reply of 9 out of 10 participants. The second most important task is achieving higher efficiency and 66% of the participants state that it is extremely important to improve the efficiency of the employees.