Greek Guest Workers in Germany Thousands of Greeks immigrated to Germany after the signing of a guest worker (Gastarbeiter) agreement between Greece and Germany in 1961. In the 1950s and 1960s the Greek government encouraged workers, such as these Greek women working in a bottling factory in Hamburg in 1963, to emigrate because of a weak economy and high unemployment. Unlike some guest workers from countries in North Africa and the Middle East, the Greeks have generally integrated smoothly into German society. An estimated 350,000 Greeks were living in Germany in 2011. (bpk, Berlin, Germany/Art Resource, NY)