Labour Mobility and Tourism. Challenges and Opportunities for Decent and Sustainable Work in the Tourism Sector. The Case of Greece

Travel and Tourism industry plays a key role in economic growth and job creation across the world. The travel sector offers employment opportunities particularly to women, young people and migrant workers, who represent a large share of the industry workers. Despite its important contribution to employment, local and national economic growth and prosperity, the tourist labour sector faces decent work challenges and occupational safety and health risks, largely due to the dominance of informal work in the sector. The article aims to present the positive aspects of the labour mobility in the tourism sector and its implications for the social and economic life of migrant labourers. Furthermore, it refers to the inequalities in the tourism labour market, which affect disproportionally women, young people, migrants and workers in the informal economy, to the deficits in social and health protection, that workers face and to the gender-based violence and harassment in the tourism labour sector. Particular focus will be placed on policies, strategies, good practices and on the relevant European and Greek protective legislation, towards a decent, fair and sustainable work in the tourism sector.