The implementation of the digital work card has brought to light a remarkable increase in declared overtime, with rates reaching 1,105% in certain sectors. Meanwhile, according to a report by “Apogevmatini,” the recorded corporate violations reveal the hidden workplace reality that prevailed in our country.
Explosive increase in declared overtime in implementation sectors
Data from the ERGANI system records impressive increases in declared overtime since March 2025. Specifically, March saw an increase of 637% compared to the corresponding month in 2024, while in April the percentage skyrocketed to 1,105%.
The tourism sector, where the digital card was mandatorily implemented from March, shows the most impressive figures. Declared overtime reached 9,453 hours in March, compared to just 1,281 hours in the corresponding month of the previous year.
Sector breakdown of overtime increases
The increase in recorded overtime extends across all sectors included in the system:
• Supermarkets: 60% increase (216,731 hours in 2024 vs. 135,466 in 2021)
• Banks: 38.3% increase (82,236 hours in 2024 vs. 59,470 in 2021)
• Security companies: 27.8% increase (454,547 hours in 2024 vs. 355,584 in 2022)
• Manufacturing: 34.3% increase (2,019,082 hours in 2024 vs. 1,503,813 in 2023)
• Retail: 28.1% increase (474,999 hours in 2024 vs. 370,883 in 2023)
Violations and labor inspection controls
Despite the significant increase in declared overtime, labor inspection controls reveal high violation rates. In April, nearly 6 out of 10 violations (57.6%) were related to working hours.
The overall violation rate of inspected businesses reached 21.7% in April, while cumulatively for January-April 2025 it stood at 22.29%. Within four months, the labor inspection conducted 24,158 controls and imposed fines totaling 13.9 million euros.
Government interventions and results
Government policies in recent years have contributed to reducing overwork below the European average. The strengthening of labor inspection controls is bearing fruit, as 79,207 inspections were conducted in 2024 with fine collections of 49.5 million euros.
The percentage of full-time salaried workers rose to 76.41% in 2024, compared to 69.2% in 2019. Greek workers work an average of 38 hours per week, ranking the country 7th among EU countries.
The digital work card now covers more than 1,500,000 workers in over 150,000 businesses, serving as an important tool in the fight against undeclared work.
