A record number of retirements is expected this year, since, as Kathimerini understands, by last week more than 190,000 new applications had been submitted to the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA), almost as many as had been submitted in the whole of 2024 and 15,000 to 20,000 more than in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Even in 2021, the year in which the most applications were submitted to date (212,151), at the end of October, their number had been 169,433. Correspondingly, in 2022, 179,849 applications had been submitted in the January-October period, with the year finally closing at 211,133.
Now, estimates are that on average, in the months of November and December, approximately 18,000 applications will be submitted per month, resulting in the year closing at almost 220,000 applications.
Experts, as well as the Labor Ministry and EFKA, are monitoring the process, knowing that the positive course of the country’s social security body is not at risk. To a large extent, the phenomenon is considered expected, as this is the “baby boomer” generation, who are now establishing the right and are rushing to submit retirement applications.