After signing up for a national unemployment registry, in May Gerolimatos was offered a spot in a free certificate program run by Microsoft. A month later, he was one of 25 out of 150 to pass his course, which is part of an effort to train 100,000 would-be specialists in information technology by the end of 2025. Three months and yet another Microsoft certificate program later, Gerolimatos was weighing job offers, eventually becoming a security engineer at a global accounting firm.
Beyond the Mediterranean nation’s obvious charms and easy access to Africa and the Middle East, global tech players have also been lured by generous tax incentives and an abundance of renewable solar and wind energy. Although the numbers remain relatively low—just above 330 million euros in 2021—foreign direct investment in Greece’s information and communication technology sector has more than tripled in the past two years, and now accounts for roughly 3percent of the country’s total GDP.
Mitsotakis, naturally, wants to direct public attention elsewhere. With a national election scheduled for next year, he has been trying to make good on previous campaign promises, such as making it easier for people who left the country during the economic crisis to return home. A rise in well-paid tech jobs has offered a critical assist in achieving this goal.
The c-suite isn’t the only rank at which the demand for experience has outpaced available supply. To draw in skilled international talent, the government launched a visa program in 2021 for digital nomads, and so far has issued some 450 visas. For local talent, tech companies have taken it upon themselves to train prospective employees. In addition to Microsoft’s certificate programs, more than 250,000 businesses and individuals have gone through Google training initiatives in Greece.