The number of companies active in the construction sector has declined by 35.4 percent since 2004 . Worse, compared to the 401,000 employees in the sector during the third quarter of 2008 – just before the recession cycle started – construction employed just 141,800 workers at end-2016, which means that at least 64.6 percent of the construction workers eight-and-a-half years ago have now been forced out of the sector.

Progress.

Consumers have cut their supermarket spending by up to 38 percent from 2015, according to an MRB Hellas survey.

Yep, definitely.

Data from the Independent Authority for Public Revenue revealed on Thursday that in August alone – even before the start of payments for the Single Property Tax (ENFIA) – unpaid taxes amounted to almost 1 billion euros.

IAPR figures showed that expired debts to the tax authorities increased by 1.07 billion euros in August from end-July, reaching up to 8.55 billion since the start of the year. Of that 1.07 billion, 938 million euros comprises taxes that households and enterprises failed to pay.

The IAPR data showed that 3.85 million taxpayers and corporations owe the state a total of 98.2 billion euros.

The IAPR announced it implemented 132,452 confiscations from January to end-August, and is allowed to carry out forced measures on 1,652,508 state debtors.

Proper tax avoidance becomes good citizen obligation.

More part time workers

According to the latest available figures from the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA), which concern May 2017 and derive from employers’ declarations for employed workers, more than three in 10 workers had part-time work with average gross pay of 389.65 euros.

Out of a total 2,055,456 employees declared, 30.96 percent or 636,424 of them worked part-time. Their average daily wage was just 23.48 euros. While the average employment rate at enterprises increased 2.36 percent on an annual basis, the average daily wage fell 2.38 percent and the average salary was reduced by 0.09 percent. The average daily wage of full-timers came to 49.6 euros and the average salary to 1,152.19 euros.

Primary school teachers clashed with riot police in Athens on Monday for the second time in under a week, during a protest against government plans to change public sector hirings.

The teachers say schools are under-staffed and are demanding the creation of additional permanent positions. They argue that an education ministry bill currently under public consultation is unfair to those with years of experience.