Providing jobseekers furthest from the labour market with better opportunities to access employment is a key policy objective across OECD countries. Supporting these individuals into employment generates benefits that go far beyond the individual: it improves well-being and fosters empowerment, while also supporting economic growth, promoting social cohesion and reducing public expenditure in the long run. Yet many of those furthest from the labour market face complex and multiple barriers to employment that can only be overcome through co‑ordinated, intensive and personalised support. In many countries, providing this level of support remains challenging, particularly where resources are limited.
Active labour market policies (ALMPs) and public employment services (PES) play a key role in helping countries address skills and labour shortages while promoting inclusive labour markets and supporting jobseekers furthest from the labour market access good jobs. PES are well placed to act as intermediaries between labour demand and supply and promote labour mobility by reaching out to jobseekers, people out of the labour market, workers and employers, co‑operating with other actors in the PES ecosystem and providing timely, targeted and effective support to those in need.
Digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) open up new possibilities for how PES design and deliver their services. Across the OECD, countries are rapidly expanding the number and variety of digital tools and AI applications used in PES. These innovations can help target and allocate resources more efficiently, tailor support, and achieve better outcomes with fewer resources. However, if these tools are to improve opportunities for all, OECD countries must ensure that people furthest from the labour market can also reap the benefits of digitalisation, rather than be left further behind.
The OECD is carrying out a set of reviews of labour market and social protection policies to boost labour market participation and promote better employment opportunities, with particular attention to the most disadvantaged, who face the greatest barriers to finding quality jobs. As part of this work, the Connecting People with Jobs series of country studies assesses how well each country’s ALMPs and PES help all groups to move into productive and rewarding jobs and provides policy recommendations for improving their effectiveness. This report on Greece is the twenty‑first in that series.
This report assesses the processes and tools used by the Greek Public Employment Service (DYPA) to identify jobseekers furthest from the labour market early on. Building on these assessments and international best practices, the report develops proposals for strengthening DYPA’s capacity to identify and support these jobseekers through the use of digital tools, and to explore how complementary services can help DYPA better respond to their needs. This report supports DYPA’s broader efforts to modernise and digitalise its services, helping to ensure that, in a rapidly changing world of work, no one is left behind.