The labor market is characterized by imbalances and dysfunctions that can be addressed through a study of the management and costing of workers’ payroll. Although there is an ongoing conflict of interest between employees and employers, it can be combated because the employment relationship is a mixture of conflicting and consensual elements (mixed-motive). This paper is about flexible forms of employment, which corporations can take advantage of in a constantly evolving environment. At the same time, reference is made to the institution of telecommuting that improves remote worker efficiency, minimizes labor costs, and opens the labor market frontiers. It is necessary to create new strategies aimed at improving the efficiency of the workforce, managing labor costs, and studying the sustainability of each activity of the business unit. Lastly, the constantly evolving technological environment and the constant development of the skills of the workforce require the incorporation of ongoing management and efficiency studies to achieve the maximum possible objectives at the lowest possible and most flexible cost and risk.

This paper synthesises the available evidence on the evolution of statutory minimum and average wages across European Union Member States over the period 2019–2024. It examines patterns of wage convergence and wage adequacy, the implementation of Directive (EU) 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages, and their implications for broader labour market developments. The core period of analysis is 2019–2024. Earlier years are used only as historical or institutional background, while selected 2025 references are used for contextual policy updates and not as part of the main comparative period. The analysis draws upon peer-reviewed academic literature alongside official institutional and statistical data from Eurofound, Eurostat, the European Commission, the OECD, the ECB, and national authorities. The central research question asks whether recent increases in statutory minimum wages and average wages have contributed to upward wage convergence and wage adequacy across EU Member States, and under which institutional and macroeconomic conditions these developments have affected inequality, employment, inflationary pressures, and competitiveness. Its theoretical framework is grounded in the concepts of wage spillover and wage compression effects, the wage–price spiral debate, and institutional approaches to collective bargaining and wage setting. Evidence indicates substantial nominal increases in statutory minimum wages in most EU countries, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, where upward wage convergence has reduced the gap with Western European countries. Despite concerns about inflationary pressures, the evidence does not support the existence of a generalised wage–price spiral. Instead, wage increases largely represent compensatory responses to externally driven inflation, producing moderate spillover effects on neighbouring wage levels and contributing to a partial compression of wage inequality at the lower end of the wage distribution. The study also identifies continuing challenges, including youth unemployment, precarious forms of employment, regional wage disparities and uneven collective bargaining coverage. It concludes that sustainable and adequate wage floors are best supported by transparent adjustment criteria, productivity growth, effective labour inspection, investment in skills and training, and inclusive collective bargaining institutions.

Introduction: The evidence concerning Moral Distress (MD) among physicians is limited, while such data are absent for physicians working in the Greek National Health System (GNHS). The purpose of this study is the investigation of MD among physicians in Greece and the validation Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R) as a reliable method for the measurement of MD in the Greek language. Methods: This is a multicenter study in which 200 physicians of all specialties and degrees participated. A self-reporting questionnaire was used. The MDS-R questionnaire is constituted of 21 items that describe conditions met in clinical practice, aiming to investigate the frequency and intensity of such cases. The questionnaire was translated and validated in the Greek language. Results: The test-retest procedure was undergone in a sample of 18 physicians and it was found significant and high agreement in all of the MD scale items. Therefore, all 21 items of the MDS-R questionnaire were found suitable for inclusion in the Greek version of MDS-R. A model of four main factors emerged after the analysis of the results with a total variance of 46,8% and all these factors were correlated with each other. MD was detected to a significant degree in more than half participants. The incidence and intensity of MD were higher in physicians who worked in general hospitals compared to those working in cancer hospitals, which is reported for the first time. Conclusions: The Greek version of MDS-R is a valid and reliable instrument for the investigation of MD among Greek physicians. Moral distress impacts the Greek physicians but the degree depends on the working position. Moral distress is also associated with leaving a working position among Greek physicians.

This paper aims to provide evidence of the impact on the minimum wage to employment in Greece over the period 2016 to 2024. The main contribution of this paper is the examination of the effects of the minimum wage during a period characterized by many difficulties and research interest not only nationwide but also across regions with high heterogeneity. The case of Greece is particularly interesting to study during this period as it provides a unique context to explore the effects of minimum wage increases on employment. Greece constitutes a distinctly singular case within the European context due to the exceptional structural characteristics of its labor market. Following a protracted economic crisis, successive waves of labor market reforms, and the additional disruptions generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Greece provides an illustrative, and in many respects unique, example of how extensive policy interventions interact with a gradually recovering economy and persistently elevated unemployment levels. Overall, the results strongly indicate that there is little to no impact of the minimum wage on employment and the findings vary considerably across the different regional contexts. Finally, the DiD methodology used supports the credibility of the findings and suggests that the lack of impact of the minimum wage is not due to model specification or timing bias.