Vroutsis: The reduction in employers' contributions will provide 30,000 jobs

Speaking at a conference on unemployment Labour Minister Yiannis Vroutsis expressed cautious optimism that unemployment has now reached the highest point of its torturous circle and in 2014 it will begin to decline.

He said that for the first time in 2013 and after 60 months of continuous growth (even during the summer), the unemployment rate showed signs of marginal deceleration according to data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority.

Vroutsis confirmed that he will proceed to reducing employers’ contributions by a further 3.9 points in 2016. This project, he added, will lead to the hiring of at least 30,000 people, significantly reducing the search for financial equivalent measures from the 800 million euros at much lower levels.

The Labour Minister accused the political opposition stressing that they are unrealistic giving utopian promises for the restoration of wages and pensions to pre-crisis levels. "For something like that it will take at least 5 billion euros immediately only on pensions," Vroutsis concluded.