Greek job figures end five months of contraction

Private sector salaried employment posted an increase in February for the first time after five months of decline, the Labor Ministry?s hirings register Ergani showed on Wednesday. The balance of hirings and departures from the labor market was 15,124 jobs in the green.

Although the rate of hiring announcements is considerably slower than the same month last year, the February data are seen as particularly positive as they have put an end to a five-month streak that has seen the labor market contract by 101,034 jobs.

The Ergani figures show that hiring announcements numbered 97,987 while departures amounted to 82,863, of which 38,021 were voluntary and 44,842 were contract terminations or expiries. The February 2014 balance had shown an increase in jobs by 19,912. In the first couple of months of 2015 there were 5,851 more jobs created than terminated.