The Tsipras government this week pointed to another 9,000 public sector hirings for 2019, continuing a string of recent spending initiatives ahead of three elections during the year.
On Thursday, Minister Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, who holds the public administration portfolio, said the ratio of one hiring for every withdrawal will be employed in the scheme.
Xenogiannakopoulou, a long-time socialist PASOK minister and cadre who veered to leftist SYRIZA over the recent period and was given a minister’s seat as an out-of-Parliament Cabinet member, referring to 4,500 new hires for special education and 3,200 for a home assistance program, while adding that the public employment boost has the approval of Eurozone creditors.
She pointed to “fiscal space”, achieved through what she called the “performance of the Greek economy”, as allowing for the hirings.
Opposition critics in the country have pointed to a direct and indirect “tax tsunami” unleashed in the country in 2016 as generating the high annual primary budget surplus targets (3.5 percent of GDP) mandated by creditors, along with continued cuts to annual public investment programs.
Finally, she also referred to nearly 8,200 new permanent hirings by municipal governments.
