Interest in traditional professions is returning with… new opportunities

Up to 100,000 new technical jobs could be created over the next 10 years with the momentum seen in new business start-ups and expansion of existing ones.

Studies and data from the Athens Chamber of Commerce show that in this particular area there is a great demand for technical professions and specialization in electrical engineers for digital services but also for manual work in construction, crafts and energy. At the same time, there is a serious lack of specialized technical personnel (repair, parameterization, maintenance of machines, etc.) and a very high risk of losing the accumulated technical knowledge and experience. According to the BEA it is required:

• a) support and expansion of technical vocational training through enhancing the prestige and attractiveness of technical professions. Promotion and awareness-raising actions with the aim of making the path of technical vocational education an important option in the context of school and professional orientation of young people,
• b) development of incentives – positive discrimination to attract people with low educational qualifications, so as to limit monopolization by those with high qualifications.
  At the end of 2023, the Athens Chamber of Commerce had 34,659 members, while in the past year it registered 1,222 new beginnings. In the same year, 526 closed mainly due to retirement. The interesting element, of course, is the qualitative analysis as it seems that dynamic professions such as the textile industry or construction are coming back in synergy with activities in general that in previous years were not at the peak of interest for professional investors and workers.

According to the Chamber of Commerce, in the establishment of new businesses, sole proprietorships have the first place, while personal forms come second, followed by EPE and SA… There is great interest in clothing, carpentry, metals, food – drinks, in jewelry, in the car in the construction industry while there is a great demand for electricians, computerization and graphic arts. New registrations are recorded in hairdressers, dry cleaners and carpet cleaners.

However, according to the Chamber of Commerce of Athens, in order to support the restoration of traditional entrepreneurship (and not only), intervention by the state is needed.

Specifically, the BEA is of course asking the government to:

• Flexible financial tools, incentives and interventions that favor extroversion, access to innovation, skills development,
• Abolish the pretense fee,
  • Rationalization – reduction of VAT rates,
  • Reduction of the corporate tax rate to 20%,
• Further reduction of non-salary costs and specifically of insurance contributions,
  • Establishment of tax-free on the first €10,000 and after, 20% on net profits. For profitable businesses, any amount demonstrably invested in production/manufacturing activity and job growth must be tax-free and subsidized by the state at a rate of 3-5% on the investment. Investment costs must be tax-free, with the possibility of financing them by 50% with an interest rate of 3.5% for manufacturing / production activities and 6% for purely commercial activities.
  • Establishment of the unencumbered account: establishment of an unencumbered business account, which will serve all the financial functions of a business, with technical parameters that are subject to certain criteria, such as turnover, the amount of debts, etc.
  • By activating the reserved reserves, lungs will be created in the economy, since all transactions will be done through the bank accounts.
  • Separation of TIN: separation of the TIN of the business entity, from that of the natural person. To free the household and avoid bankruptcy.

Stelios Kraloglou- protothema.gr