Issue 6/2023 (Year 4ο)
Message from the President
My dears – My dears, ?
The countdown to the national elections has already begun. The next period is crucial for two reasons. On the one hand, for the start of the tourist season and on the other hand, for the important obligation we have as citizens to bring forth a government with a strong vision of economic security for all of us.
The business sector is very often called upon to be a dynamic counterbalance to a country’s economy, while its coffers reflect the pathologies and dysfunctions of previous periods. ? Tourism is for all of us a breath of life that will stimulate us economically, but also more broadly, in terms of our development and prosperity.
The tourist season is an important opportunity for all of us to invest in visitors from abroad, but also from within Greece. After all, the period of time before Easter always marks the beginning of it. This year is expected to show a spectacular rise in terms of the numerical expectations of the experts. ? After all, Greece is a constant attraction for all kinds of visitors.
Petros Kalpakidis
President POVAKO
GEMOLOGY SEMINAR IN CALMATA
Με μεγάλη επιτυχία ολοκληρώθηκε το σεμινάριο πολύτιμων λίθων που διοργάνωσε ο Σύλλογος Χρυσοχόων Ωρολογοποιών Καλαμάτας, υπό την αιγίδα της Πανελλήνιας Ομοσπονδίας Βιοτεχνών Αργυροχρυσοχόων και Χρυσοχόων Κοσμηματοπωλών Κοσμηματοπωλών, στο Επιμελητήριο Μεσσηνίας, στις 18 και 19 Μαρτίου 2023, με την καθολική συμμετοχή των μελών του συλλόγου.
Ο πρόεδρος του συλλόγου κ. Ιωάννης Κουβελάκης ευχαρίστησε τον πρόεδρο και τον διευθυντή του Επιμελητηρίου Μεσσηνίας κ. Γιώργο Κυριακόπουλο, τον πρόεδρο του Επιμελητηρίου Μεσσηνίας κ. Γιώργο Καπερώνη για τη συνδρομή τους στη διοργάνωση της εκδήλωσης, καθώς και τον πρόεδρο της ΠΟΒΑΚΩ κ. Π. Καλπακίδη για την παρουσία και την υποστήριξη της Ομοσπονδίας στην εκπαιδευτική αυτή πρωτοβουλία του συλλόγου της Καλαμάτας.
Εκπαιδεύτρια του σεμιναρίου ήταν η κ. Εύα Κουντουράκη, εκπαιδεύτρια πολύτιμων λίθων και GIA Resident Gemology Instructor, η οποία με τις γνώσεις της και τη μεταδοτικότητά της προκάλεσε το ενδιαφέρον των εκπαιδευομένων κατά τη διάρκεια του διήμερου σεμιναρίου.
Στο πλαίσιο της εθιμοτυπίας, ως αναμνηστικό της εκδήλωσης και της επίσκεψης του Προέδρου της ΠΟΒΑΚΟ , υπήρξε ανταλλαγή αναμνηστικών μεταξύ της ΠΟΒΑΚΟ και του συλλόγου χρυσοχόων και ωρολογοποιών Καλαμάτας.
Ο Πρόεδρος της ΠΟΒΑΚΟ, κ. Πέτρος Καλπακίδης, απευθυνόμενος στα μέλη του συλλόγου κατά τον χαιρετισμό της εκδήλωσης του σεμιναρίου, ευχήθηκε προσωπική πρόοδο και προέτρεψε όλους να συμμετέχουν σε τέτοιου είδους εκπαιδευτικές δραστηριότητες, τις οποίες συστήνουν εξειδικευμένοι και καταρτισμένοι εκπαιδευτές, θεωρώντας τες ως ιδανική ευκαιρία για να επενδύσουν στην επαγγελματική πορεία που έχουν επιλέξει.
POWAKO's financial assistance to earthquake victims Turkey - Syria
POVAKO has made an act of solidarity by making a donation of 500 euros to help those affected by the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. ?
The aforementioned amount was deposited in a special fundraising account of the GSEVEE, with the care of which it will be deposited to the Greek Red Cross for this purpose.
The obligation to provide a negative rape test is abolished.
Αfrom the27 March the unvaccinated workersin the private and public sectors will notare required to provide a negative rapidtest.
The control remains mandatory inhospitals and health facilities.
The market "votes" for political stability - The announcement of the Central Union of Greek Chambers of Commerce for the elections
After the official announcement of theelections by the Prime Minister, for theMay 21st, the Chamber Communitycalls for stability and a governmentbusiness-friendly.
“What we as a businesscommunity we are asking is not to enter thecountry and the economy in aa prolonged period of uncertainty.We call for the rapid progress of the political processes and to form a stable government as soon as possible. A business-friendly government. A government that will guarantee that the key economic and fiscal policy commitments will continue to be implemented without interruption. It will continue the reforms, without delays and backtracking. The economic situation must not be lost”, notes the president of the Central Union of Greek Chambers of Commerce, Yannis Masoutis.
The message from the market as we enter the final stretch for the elections is that business has proven that it can lead the effort for growth and prosperity. “They need and deserve a stable and reliable environment, in which they can plan the next day,” the CECI noted in its announcement.
EBEA survey: optimism in Greek businesses - One in two believe they will do well
Almost half of businesses (48.4%) estimate that they willdo better in the next 12 months,according to a survey by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
From a survey conducted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Athens Chamber of Industry and Commerce in the framework of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry. investigating the trends that are emerging in the market. market in a sample of 795 member companies, shows that almost half of the enterprises (48.4%) estimate that they will fare better in the next 12 years. months, 33.3% of businesses believe that there will be no noticeable difference, while only 11.3% believe that their performance will be worse, reports the AP-MPA.
Optimism for the course of the Greek economy
The survey was conducted during the period 2-13 March 2023, through telephone interviews and the completion of an electronic questionnaire.
It also emerges that 40.9% of businesses have managed to cope with the successive instability conditions created by the multiple crises since 2009, while 36.5% said that they would find it difficult to cope with a new crisis. In addition, 13.2% of firms said that they were not particularly affected, while 6.3% said that they experienced a period of growth.
Regarding turnover, in the last year, 42.1% of respondents said it had increased, 32.1% of firms reported that turnover had remained unchanged and only 23.3% reported that it had increased.
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of businesses reported reduced turnover. In the vast majority of businesses, the change in turnover ranges up to 25%. It is particularly positive that among the companies that increased their turnover, there are companies (3%) that recorded an increase of more than 75%.
When asked about the course of the economy in the next twelve months, 35.8% of businesses answered that it will be better, 24.5% of businesses think it will remain stable, while only 23.3% believe that the economy will be worse.
President of EBEA: “Businesses have a leading role in the good performance of the Greek economy“
On the results of the survey, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sofia Kounenaki Efraimoglou, said.
“Businesses have a leading role in the good performance of the Greek economy. Through successive crises, they have managed not only to survive, but also to significantly enhance their resilience and competitiveness. The optimism recorded by the survey of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry regarding the prospects of the economy, but also of businesses themselves, is characteristic of the change in climate.
But we are not complacent.But we are not complacent. We insist on promoting investments, business initiatives, reforms and projects that enable the country to produce higher value-added products and services and international competitiveness. It is up to us to preserve the progress made and to meet new challenges.
setting the bar even higher. The Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry – representing the businesses with the largest contribution to the country’s GDP – will continue to serve this effort with consistency and efficiency.”
Survey: 8 out of 10 employers can't find talented workers - In which sectors - Focus on industry and construction
Faced with a slow-fire bomb are theIT companies -and- in Greece, as the 8out of 10 (81%) say they do not find talent withthe appropriate skills to meet the needs of thetheir existing needs.
The IT sector is not the only one thatfaces difficulties in filling vacancies employment. In fact, it is in a better position to do so. relative to other sectors of the economy.
From Energy and Utilities to Manufacturing, Health and Life Sciences, Greek employers cannot find the skilled talent they need. More specifically, 96% say they cannot find talent for the Energy and Utilities sector.
Which sectors cannot find executives
85% say they face staffing problems in the Industry and Construction sector, 84% in the Health and Life Sciences sector, and 82% in the Communication Services sector. Meanwhile, in Consumer Goods and Services (including Tourism), Financial and Real Estate, Transport, Supply Chain and Motor Industry the respective percentages are 70%, 68% and 65%.
Why is there difficulty in identifying skilled talent
Overall, nearly 8 out of 10 employers in Greece face serious or relative difficulty in finding qualified talent, with the talent shortage reaching an 11-year high, according to the findings of ManpowerGroup’s annual talent shortage survey for 2023.
More specifically, in Greece 77% of employers – equal to the global average – report difficulty in finding qualified talent. Compared to last year, the rate is slightly down by 1%.
What skills are in short supply
In terms of technical skills, 23% of employers say they lack IT and Data skills, 19% Engineering, 18% Human Resources, 17% Construction/Production and 15% Sales/Marketing technical skills.
Meanwhile, 27% of Greek employers who participated in the survey say that in terms of soft skills there is a lack of responsibility, reliability and discipline, while 26% say they cannot find talent with critical thinking and analysis. Leadership and social influencing skills are lacking for 24%, while an equal proportion of employers say that talent lacks initiative in acquiring skills. Finally, 22% consider that there is a lack of cooperation and teamwork skills.
The global picture.
At the global level, employers in Taiwan, Germany (86%), Hong Kong (85%), Portugal (84%) and Puerto Rico (83%) have the greatest difficulty (90%), and less difficulty in Colombia (64%), Panama (66%), the Czech Republic (66%), Slovakia (68%) and Mexico (69%).
As for how employers are addressing the skills gap, 60% say they are investing in training their existing workforce, 54% in permanent recruitment of new talent and 45% in more technology.
Also, 47% of employers report that, in order to address the challenge of talent shortages, they offer more flexibility in terms of where or when they work. 14% say they are willing to recruit talent from abroad especially for the Consumer Goods sectors. Services (including Tourism) and Health & Life Sciences.
Rapid resolution of cross-border business problems in the EU through SOLVIT - Event at EVETH in cooperation with the General Secretariat for Economic Policy of the Ministry of Finance
The great importance of the SOLVIT network for the cross-border resolution of problems faced by businesses and citizens in the EU was presented in detail at an event held on Monday 20 March at the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TICI), in cooperation with the General Secretariat for Economic Policy of the Ministry of Finance.
The event focused on the role SOLVIT plays in removing barriers and facilitating business activity within the EU.
The main speakers at the event were the Secretary General of Economic Policy of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Nikolaos Koulocheris and the Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Panagiotis Menexopoulos.
Mr. Nikolaos Koulocheris, after referring to the role of SOLVIT, stressed the importance of the network for the Greek economy and the extroversion of businesses. He stressed that the remarkable increase in our country’s exports, especially in the last two years, makes it even more important to support entrepreneurship through the SOLVIT tool. He noted the particular advantages of the network and referred, among others, to the fact that SOLVIT is offered completely free of charge to businesses, through an easy-to-use online procedure, elements that contribute to the reduction of the bureaucratic burden for businesses. In addition, SOLVIT aims to provide solutions within ten weeks.
Mr. Spyridon Paroutis, Deputy Head of the Directorate of European Union and International Relations of the Ministry of Finance, pointed out that SOLVIT in its 20 years of successful operation has received almost 60,000 requests, which it has managed with a high success rate, which proves its effectiveness. According to Mr. Parouti said “businesses can benefit because seeking help from SOLVIT does not require legal knowledge from applicants, acts immediately, is not costly and ultimately contributes significantly to their efforts to expand into new EU markets.”
Then, Ms Olga Anastasia Panagiotopoulou presented the role of the European Information Centre Europe Direct Thessaloniki, which she heads, with emphasis on the close cooperation she has developed with SOLVIT, referring to relevant examples.
The event was concluded with the presentation of Ms Magdalene Selanikli, Director Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance of ISO PLUS (food supplements & cosmetics), who referred to the positive experience of her company from the Greek SOLVIT centre in the management of a problem she faced with a public authority of an EU member state, regarding the marketing of the company’s product. It is worth noting that with its actions, the Greek SOLVIT centre succeeded in making this particular case of mutual recognition of goods the first positive opinion of the European Commission at European level, in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2019/515.
The Greek SOLVIT centre, since the launch of the network, is located at the General Secretariat for Economic Policy of the Ministry of Finance.
Edited by Nena Myronidou (nmyronidou@gmail.com)
