Greece records rise in foreign worker recruitment requests
Applications to recruit workers from non-EU countries increased significantly in Greece in 2026, covering both seasonal agricultural employment and dependent work, according to data from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
Applications reached 89,940 in September 2026, compared with 61,032 in the same month of 2025, an increase of 28,908 requests in one year.
Ministry sources attributed the rise to employers’ confidence in the new provisions governing the recruitment of third-country nationals.
Nearly 70% of pending permits processed
Meanwhile, authorities continue to process outstanding residence permit applications under the new legislative framework for legal migration, which provides for the issuance of specific permit categories subject to certain conditions.
According to the Integrated Information System for Migration, 61,301 of the 87,623 residence permits included in the clearance process had been processed.
This represents a processing rate of 69.95%, with the remaining cases still awaiting completion.
Agricultural and dependent employment drive demand
The increase in recruitment requests reflects demand for workers from outside the European Union in seasonal agricultural activities and other forms of dependent employment.
The latest figures highlight the parallel challenges facing Greece’s migration administration: responding to employers’ demand for foreign workers while continuing to clear pending residence permit cases under the revised legal framework.
