Greek HR Survey Finds Pay, Transparency and AI Drive Employee Turnover

A joint study by kariera.gr and the Athens University of Economics and Business surveyed 193 Greek employers about hiring and retention. Eight in ten workers say a better financial offer prompts them to change jobs, and 79% of firms cite higher pay as the primary reason for employee exits. Retaining staff is the top challenge for 64% of employers, while 60% now place greater emphasis on soft‑skill assessment.

Competitive salaries and benefits (62%) and work‑life balance (58%) are the main factors that keep employees, but pay‑transparency practices lag: 46% of respondents claim no gender pay gap, yet 40% lack any mechanism to monitor pay disparities and only 34.7% have defined salary ranges for positions. Over a third (35.6%) do not disclose pay details in job ads, citing confidentiality.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in recruitment, but concerns remain. Seventy‑eight percent of firms worry about data‑privacy, 58% about bias and discrimination, and 53% fear automation could diminish the human element of hiring. Barriers to AI adoption include lack of expertise (57%), implementation cost (50%) and legal/ethical issues (42%). Still, half of the employers expect AI to become essential for recruiters, and 46% believe it will free up time for relationship‑building with candidates. The findings were presented at the June webinar “People, Pay & AI: Insights for the Future of Work.”