Blessing

I know a few people who might explode by reading this post but there you go… You have been warned.

Via Kathimerini

Migrant workers are having a positive effect on the Greek economy and employment levels.

Studies show that despite the usual protests against migrants, their presence here is a blessing. The desperate peoples of the developing world are the hope of the more developed countries. In Greece, migrants have rejuvenated the national economy. They have given a new lease on life to near-extinct activities and provided a much-needed tonic for faltering social security funds

The population in Greece is getting older at a faster rate than the rest of Europe and is in need of people of working age to contribute to social funds (for pensions and healthcare etc). This is where the influx of migrant workers has helped to boost these funds (about 1.5% of the GDP). The new-found prosperity has also helped create new jobs (about 115.000) rather than add to unemployment levels, as some people would like us to believe. The problem seems to be that this wealth is not equally divided within the population, so unskilled workers feel that their jobs are at risk. The real problem is that many employers are paying very little for a days work and only migrant workers are willing to accept those wages. Hostility is then directed at the people who take on those jobs rather than at those who are really at fault. Corrupt government and corrupt employers. Read the whole (short) article here