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As a company, have you been forced to "import" to Greece specialists from abroad to meet the needs of your customers?

Of course, when it is necessary, we look for specialists in foreign markets such as Serbia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia and India. It is primarily for manufacturing and tourism and at high level. For industry, we can easily find good managers from the former Eastern bloc, because it traditionally has a good production.

The problem of unemployment in Greece is very serious and it is expected to grow further in the next few years. In all this uncertainty, we still see the phenomenon of 'voluntary unemployment', i.e. people of working age who choose to remain outside the labour market. How would you explain this phenomenon?

First, we have to distinguish between the things. People of working age can be divided into the three groups in this case. The first group includes the young people who enter the labour market for the first time and have neither practice, nor experience. The second is the group of specialists aged between 32-40 who are at an average level and the third is made up of high level (executives) employees aged 42+. In the last group, a greater flexibility in requirements is observed, because the crisis has seriously hit this age group. Many jobs were lost in the last two years, many companies have closed or merged and in many cases, the newly formed companies are managed by foreign managers. Therefore, in this age group there is a significantly higher level of unemployment. The experts here are ready to go down one or two steps in the corporate hierarchy, just to stay in the labour market. In addition, they are much more flexible as regards monthly payment requirements.

There is no serious unemployment in the second age group of 32-40, which focuses on specialists in corporate environments rather than on unskilled workers. Why? Because there is demand for people of quality and who are willing to work. Managers want instant results and demand and competition are high. In this case, companies do not hesitate to make redundancies, but compensate for them by hiring new employees who are not always cheaper. For now, efficiency is still more important than costs. However, we should note that the labour force in this age group as a whole is not expensive. Here, we can find examples of "voluntary unemployment" because the logic is, if I wait a little longer, I will find a better offer. Those times have gone forever and this is no longer valid.

The same is true for young people, who have to take their first steps in the labour market. Companies very rarely hire people with no experience. Companies operating in a crisis want immediate results. The Greek family’ attitude of mind has not changed yet. It is ready to support children who are actually mature. The "children" are aged between 28-30 years and their parents give them pocket money until they find that excellent job corresponding to their specialty, rather than encourage them to start any activity, just to gain experience.

When I say experience, I do not mean only how to sell shoes, for instance, but what it means to fit into the work environment, how to develop in it, what it means to have responsibility, to be at a specific place at a specific time and other habits that are developed through entering the labour market.

Any kind of work prepares the workers for the career they want to follow later. The way of thinking, "I have studied at a university, I will not work in a call centre" (for example) is not correct and has no place in today's competitive environment. Three or six months in a call center provide valuable experience that should not be missed out on.

In Greece, there is another problem and it is the labour force freed from the public sector. Local economy’s reforms and reorganization involves the reduction of public administration and employees in state firms. Is the private sector able to meet this attack on hand and on the other – how much could these people be useful in the real economy?

It is important to clarify that if someone works in the public sector this does not mean that this person is not a good specialist. Just the opposite, the Greek administration has many employees who have important knowledge and skills that are in demand. However, at this time, private companies are looking for employees who will bring immediate results. If a candidate has experience only in the public sector, he or she probably will not be the first choice of the employer. Unfortunately, the attitude of society today to the state administration will not help these people to easily find a job, even if they are good professionals who can contribute to the development of the company. Those who fail to find a job in the private sector will need to turn to developing their own business or advice activity based on the knowledge and experience gained in the public sector.

Which people do you think will survive this transition?

Those who understand the need to change and manage to quickly adapt to the new conditions in the labour market. Probably it will sound like a cliché, but I have to say that every crisis offers many opportunities. Opportunities to discover what we want to do, to take the risk to pursue it and change the things we do not like. The faster we get into the spirit of the era, the faster we can find our realization.