Greece expands Digital Work Card to cover 476,000 workers in new sectors

The Greek Ministry of Labour is piloting a two‑phase expansion of the Digital Work Card, adding 476,000 employees from sectors such as hospitals, beauty salons, cleaning services, telecommunications, consulting, advertising, repairs, logistics, water management and gambling. The first phase runs from 2 June to 11 October 2026, the second from 29 June to 15 November 2026, aiming to bring total coverage to about 2.5 million workers nationwide. Minister of Labour and Social Security Niki Kerameos said the system “is a significant tool for protecting workers and enhancing transparency in the labour market, ensuring accurate recording of working time and full payment of legal wages.”

Data from the ERGANI II system show that declared overtime earnings rose to €455.7 million between March and December 2025, a 39 % increase over the same period in 2024, while related social‑security contributions grew to €150.9 million, up 29 %. The rise is attributed to the Digital Work Card’s reduced contribution rates for overtime, night work and holiday work, which encourages firms to record real hours worked and boosts workers’ reported incomes.