Greece expands Digital Work Card to 500,000 more employees

Digital Work Card labor market regulation overtime pay unreported work employment sectors

The Greek Ministry of Labour and Social Security is expanding the Digital Work Card program to include approximately 500,000 additional employees. This expansion will bring the total number of protected workers to roughly 2.5 million. The initiative aims to combat undeclared labor, ensure workers are compensated for actual hours worked, and protect legitimate businesses from unfair competition.

The rollout will occur in two distinct phases. The first phase, which began as a pilot on June 2, 2026, will move to full implementation on October 12, 2026. This phase covers human health activities (excluding doctors), employment support services, telecommunications, beauty and hair salons, and cleaning services for buildings and outdoor areas.

The second phase began its pilot stage on June 29, 2026, and will transition to full implementation on November 16, 2026. This phase includes consulting services, advertising, repairs, logistics, water and wastewater management, and gambling sectors.

Data from the ERGANI information system indicates the measure's effectiveness, noting that reported overtime in certain sectors has increased by up to 1,200%. In the first seven months of 2026, over 5.7 million overtime hours were recorded in sectors already using the card, representing a 36.8% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

Entities

DYPA · ERGANH · Ergani · Greece · Ministry of Labor and Social Security · Ministry of Labour and Social Security · Niki Keramei · Niki Kerameus · Nikos Milapidis

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] Total workers protected by the measure are estimated to reach 2,500,000 after the expansion. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] The Digital Work Card expansion covers approximately 500,000 additional workers. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] The use of the Digital Work Card has led to increases in declared overtime of up to 1200% in specific sectors. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] In 2025, 2.7 million more overtime hours were declared compared to 2024. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] The second phase of the expansion began a pilot implementation on June 29, 2026. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] The first phase of the expansion includes human health activities, telecommunications, and certain service sectors. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] Nikos Milapidis issued a clarifying circular regarding the implementation of the Digital Work Card in new sectors. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] Full implementation for the first phase of the expansion, covering health activities, telecommunications, and certain service sectors, begins on October 12. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] The total number of workers protected by the measure is estimated to reach approximately 2,500,000 following the expansion. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] The expansion of the Digital Work Card covers approximately 500,000 additional workers. cretaone.gr · www.capital.gr · www.tanea.gr
[● 2 SOURCES] 22 workshops will be conducted online via the e-Workshops platform.
[● 2 SOURCES] DYPA is organizing 103 group counseling workshops in October.