Greece: young graduates are jobless more often than peers with school only — in 24 of 34 years
Unemployment at 25–29 in 2025: 14.8% with a degree and 13.9% with upper secondary. In the 2013 crisis, 42.4% and 43.1%. Across Europe the edge of a degree has shrunk since 2005 in 19 of 28 countries.
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A degree usually protects against unemployment. In Greece it has mostly been the other way round for 30 years, and elsewhere in Europe the edge is fading.
Unemployment among 25–29-year-olds in the labour force: blue with tertiary education, orange with upper secondary.
- Greece: unemployment at 25–29, tertiary %
2013: 42.4; 2025: 14.8
Eurostat: EU Labour Force Survey (lfsa_urgaed); Macroscope calculation
- Greece: unemployment at 25–29, upper secondary %
2013: 43.1; 2025: 13.9
Eurostat: EU Labour Force Survey (lfsa_urgaed); Macroscope calculation
Eurostat EU Labour Force Survey, table lfsa_urgaed. The edge of a degree: how many times unemployment with upper secondary exceeds that with tertiary; 2005 (or the first year with data up to 2008) against the latest.
A gap of a few tenths of a point is within the survey error: in such years "as often" is more exact. In Italy and Cyprus the edge of a degree grew.
A question for this picture
And in the US? Young graduates have been unemployed more often than workers overall for more than five years.