October 2015), while the strong performance of
tourism has contributed significantly to the pos-
itive net hirings (136.3 thousand in 2016).
At the same time, Greek consumers believe that
the contribution of the supermarket sector has
been significant amidst the economic crisis,
according to the findings of a country-wide survey
conducted by the Institute of Retail Consumer
Goods (IELKA). It is also obvious by the survey
that the Greek public considers supermarkets to
be a “support” of the economy and everyday life.
More specifically, according to the survey, 61% of
consumers consider the contribution of supermar-
kets in the Greek economy (through investment,
their contribution to GDP, the preservation of jobs,
etc.) to be positive. This is reflected, according to
IELKA, on the macroeconomic contribution of the
sector to Greece’s GDP.
The IELKA survey, titled “The contribution of fast-
moving consumer goods to the National
Economy”, points out that the overall food indus-
try, which includes retail trade, wholesale trade,
and production, contributes 9.24% of Greek GDP,
on 14.5 billion euros of added value.
The majority of respondents to the survey agreed
that supermarkets support employment in the
country and the local economy (56% and 59%
respectively). According to data by the Hellenic
Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), the retail food sec-
tor is one of the few sectors of the economy that,
amidst a severe economic recession, preserves
employment in Greece, with almost 190,000 jobs.
Trade supports employment
The quarterly employment data released by
ELSTAT show that employment has been growing
in the retail food store sector in the past five
years, while 5,500 new jobs were created only in
2016. This is the only industry in Greece that can
boast such positive employment data.
The sector has also been instrumental to dealing
with unemployment in the Greek periphery, since
the retail chains sales networks are not confined
Trade with Greece
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