Corruption and the lack of meritocracy continue to push Greeks to seek a better life on foreign shores, according to the latest survey – the fifth in as many years – by ICAP People Solutions.

The survey of 942 Greeks living in 43 countries – conducted between March 27 and May 8 – sought to investigate the reasons behind the brain drain of recent years and what could make people return to Greece.



ICAP said that the results of this year’s survey are more or less the same as in previous years.

More specifically, the educational level of participants remains high – 95 percent have university degrees – while the majority work in Europe, and the UK in particular.

Moreover, 60-percent of participants said they moved abroad after already having worked in Greece. Most are employed in the branches of information technology, banking, finance and insurance, ahead of business services, science and research, and education.

Referring to the result of the survey at ICAP’s recent Human Capital Summit, Christos Ioannou, the director of employment and labor market affairs at the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, insisted that Greeks will only return home for more meritocracy, competitive wages and a better working environment.