ATHENS — A total of 12,700 new job positions were created in the October-December 2020 period through the new and improved employment programmes of the Manpower Employment Organisation (OAED), an increase of 55 pct compared with the third quarter of 2020.

OAED, in an announcement on Monday, said that despite a lockdown and the impact of the pandemic on the labour market, absorption of labour subsidy programmes continued rising compared with the previous year (up 205 pct compared with the fourth quarter of 2019 and up 213 pct compared with the same period in 2018). The organisation is currently implementing seven open programmes, covering a total of 38,600 subsidised new job positions with subsidy rates of 60-100 pct.