Greece to Bring in Egyptian Farm Workers Amid Labor Shortage

FILE PHOTO: Passengers of a flight from Amsterdam arrive at the international airport in Athens, Greece, June 15, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo

Greece will start bringing in workers from Egypt this summer to take on temporary farming jobs under a deal between the countries to tackle a labor shortage, the migration ministry said on Friday.
After a decade of pain, the Greek economy is forecast to grow nearly 3% this year, far outpacing the euro zone average of 0.8%, Reuters reported.
But an exodus of workers during Greece's economic crisis, a shrinking population and strict migration rules have left the country struggling to find tens of thousands of workers to fill vacancies in farming, tourism, construction and other sectors.
Greece will take in around 5,000 seasonal farm workers under the 2022 deal signed with Egypt.
The countries have discussed expanding the "mutually beneficial" scheme to the Greek construction and tourism sectors, the Greek Migration Ministry said in a statement.