At the European Telework Online website

"Telework 1998":
Annual Report from the European Commission

3.8 Greece

3.8.1 Summary

For Greece, with Europe's highest level of employment in agriculture, lowest per capita GDP and lowest proportion of information workers, the Information Society clearly has different aspects and implications than it does in (for example) Denmark or Germany. With Information workers making up only 22% of the workforce, telework in the most commonly accepted sense (working at or near home instead of commuting to an office) is not a high priority. On the other hand, cross-border teleworking and closely related applications such as teletrade and telecooperation present excellent opportunities for Greece to widen its basis of trade with the rest of Europe and internationally.

Greece also has Europe's lowest levels of investment in IT (both in absolute terms and relative to GDP) and lowest Internet usage. IT and Internet use are heavily concentrated in Government services and higher education. For young, IT- and Internet-aware Greeks, telework and related applications present opportunities to participate in the new work opportunities without needing to migrate and thereby lose the undoubted merits of the Greek life style.

3.8.2 Telework background and take-up of ICTs

• The Greek economy is characterised by an exceptionally low level of investment in IT, both as a proportion of GDP and (because per capita GDP is the lowest in Europe) in absolute terms. Internet use is proportionately low:

• Agriculture remains a significant source of employment. Employment in services is the lowest in Europe and includes a high public sector and a large element of tourism. Greece has Europe's highest proportion of employment in small firms and self-employment, and lowest proportion of information workers. This reflects the prominent roles of tourism and agriculture. Other than in small firms the public sector, directly and indirectly, is a major employer and a dominant influence in employment practices.

• With low per capita incomes and spending power, the cost of a PC or an Internet connection appears high to the Greek citizen or small business owner - more than twice as much as for an equivalent person in USA, nearly twice as much as in Denmark (see table over)

• Although there is low PC and Internet penetration, local phone call costs are low and there are now Internet Services Providers active across most of Greece, including local suppliers on some islands.
• Relative to the low overall level of Internet penetration, there is a high level of World Wide Web activity, with a particularly strong emphasis on using the Internet for telecooperation activities, especially in linking the large and widely distributed Greek diaspora.

• There is growing use of the Internet by Government, including online (WWW) presence of Greek overseas embassies, demonstrating an early awareness of the promotional and trade opportunities. Interest and online presence is also visible among city and regional administrations.
• There are examples of imaginative use of Internet in connection with tourism, an important element of trade and employment.

• Telecommunications liberalisation has been postponed in Greece, which has a derogation from the European directives for voice telephony until January 2001.
• The very low proportion of information work leads to a low level of interest in telework in its most commonly understood sense of working at home instead of commuting.
• Relatively low income levels mean that PC is unlikely to become a common household purchase in the near future. The Greek citizen's experience of Internet may be mainly conditioned by applications delivered through low cost devices such as enhanced TV; even this is likely to be considerably delayed compared with Northern European countries.
• Other than in Greece itself and in the Greek diaspora, the Greek language is little understood. Greek individuals and enterprises that seek to trade internationally have no choice but to sustain their online presence and deal with their customers and suppliers in at least English and preferably other languages. Since in most cases they also trade in Greece, this is a significant overhead.

• There are several websites that either have a focus on telework or provide some telework links, including a substantial set of pages in Greek at the European Telework Online website.
• The EURO-MED programme is providing Greek companies that have Information Society interests with opportunities to link with and relate to people and firms in other countries that are more similar in their current environment than the mainstream of EU member states.

3.8.3 Conclusions

A strong focus on telework as a primary Information Society application would seem to be inappropriate as a national priority in Greece at this time. More important is the need to accelerate general awareness, use and experience of information technology and online activities. Especially important is the availability of PCs and Internet access in schools, since the low general use of ICTs cannot be dramatically increased overnight, so it is the expectations, knowledge and decisions of future decision makers, workers and managers that will be most decisive in shaping Greek's longer term participation in the Information Society.

Return to European Telework Online home page

This html version of the European Commission report is provided and maintained by Marco Colonna, Telework Specialist in the European Telework Online website team.
Please address comments, suggestions and corrections for the status report to editors-tw98@eto.org.uk

This page address: http://www.eto.org.uk/twork/tw98/htmpages/tw98-3.8.htm
Page last updated: 12 October 1998