- 2000 job vacancies in Rhodes and Kos threaten the upcoming tourist season.
- Worker permits for hires from third countries are stuck in limbo.
- Slow processing blamed on severely understaffed administrative offices.
- Hotels rely heavily on workers from the Philippines to fill key roles.
- Deadline looms to submit final applications, pushing businesses toward crisis.
Chasing Paperwork While Time Ticks Away
Chaos develops behind the scenes as Rhodes and Kos prepare for their yearly visitor assault. It turns out that 2000 job vacancies could remain open this season due to someone neglecting to hire sufficient personnel for the government office managing work permits, not for hotels. Given its emphasis on hospitality, Greece would seem to have this under control. Not quite.
The Aegean’s Decentralized Administration, aka the office responsible, is so short on people it might as well be a ghost town. For months, one poor employee drowned in paperwork until they couldn’t take it anymore and quit. A rookie entered the picture, but naturally, with mountains of outstanding applications, things haven’t exactly sped up. Call for the mass yelling of hotel management all across.
Philippine Workforce Stuck in Bureaucratic Limbo
Rhodes and Kos mostly rely on Filipinos to cover important roles like hotel housekeeping. Spoiler: they are not quite free-will workers. They’ve been keeping luxury resorts running smoothly for years. Businesses like Flex Idea—tasked with handling recruitment and paperwork—have already submitted 1,200 applications for these islands alone. As of now, only 400 have been cleared.
What’s worse? There’s a hard stop on this madness: the deadline. Greece’s embassy in Manila quits accepting documents after March 31, leaving applications in purgatory. And since Filipino labor laws demand at least six months of employment, if permits aren’t sorted soon, hotels will lose workers and kiss goodbye to any chance of salvaging their busiest time of year.
Who’s Paying the Price for the Mess?
Tourism-heavy businesses are facing a perfect storm. Major hotels anticipating more than 300 employees are trying to figure out how to open their doors while drastically understaffed. Locals are prepared for economic repercussions without a quick response. Fewer services follow from fewer workers. Fewer offerings are not very good for island economies or, more importantly, visitor enjoyment.
Flex Idea’s representative, Konstantinos Karanikolas, isn’t shy about sounding the alarm. “Pretend this is a fire drill,” he warns. Without swift and serious intervention to staff the administrative offices, the Greek tourism industry will take a massive hit. And sure, Greek sunsets may be beautiful, but that won’t mop the hotel floors.
Source: Κίνδυνος για τη σεζόν 2025 στη Ρόδο λόγω έλλειψης προσωπικού