Greek craft sector faces skills gap and soaring costs, study finds

A recent sector survey by the Athens Chamber of Crafts (ΒΕΑ) reveals Greek craftsmanship is split into a two‑speed market. Companies that invest in skills, certification and digital technologies gain competitiveness, while others remain pressured by high production costs, limited financing and bureaucracy.

The study covered nine key industries – bakery and confectionery, auto repair shops, construction, aluminium and glass manufacturers, plastics, moulds and machine builders, textiles, graphic arts and printing, jewellery and food‑beverage manufacturing. It highlighted sharp cost increases: bakery input prices rose up to 400%, sugar up 61% and energy 60‑80%; aluminium and glass exporters report 78% material price hikes; 97% of plastics and machine firms struggle to find highly‑skilled staff.

Specific findings include bakery turnover of €849 million in 2025, down 1.3%; auto workshops seeing a 2.4% turnover rise yet 92% report difficulty finding technicians and only 22% have trained staff for e‑mobility; construction investment of €24.3 billion (≈6% of GDP) but 88% cite payment delays and bureaucratic bottlenecks; aluminium/glass exports €2.9 billion. The report urges accelerated digital transformation and AI adoption to improve productivity.