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The independent statistics authority ELSTAT has set up a working group to figure out the cause of unusual monthly fluctuations in the jobless numbers that, its officials say, do not reflect developments in the labor market.
As it awaits the working group’s findings, ELSTAT made an unusual move Thursday, deciding not to publish the June 2025 unemployment figures as originally planned.
ELSTAT President Thanos Thanopoulos told Kathimerini that the fluctuations have been observed for several years and they could not be explained by the usual models. The delay in publishing the June jobless numbers was decided in order to avoid undue confusion among the public, he said.
“We are… aiming for the index to achieve the greatest convergence possible with the quarterly index results, which exhibit greater consistence and their fluctuations can be explained,” he added.