Paphos info-file

Labour

Recruitment 

All European citizens have the right to seek work in most EU Member States. The Republic of Cyprus has not adopted a transitional period, and thus the principle of the freedom of movement of workers between EU countries is applicable in full.

European citizens who come to Cyprus for work must register with the Central Register of Aliens. After being registered, they can look for work if they wish, either through the district labour offices (in all the cities) or by approaching employers directly themselves. They must submit an application for a residence permit to the Population and Migration Archive within three months. Persons who are receiving unemployment benefit in the country from which they come must bring an E303 certificate with them.

The main ways of finding work in Cyprus include:

  • use of the Public Employment Services (PES)
  • use of private employment agencies
  • reading of advertisements in the press
  • personal acquaintance

The public employment services are attached to the Department of Labour of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance and operate centrally and at district level. There are four district labour offices – one in each city – and two branches (Paralimni and Poli Chrysyhous); these offer services free of charge to persons who are seeking employment or better employment and to employers who are looking for workers. For further information on the services offered by the public employment services check the Department's webpage.

The following persons can register at a district labour office in order to find work:

  • persons who have reached 15 years of age
  • citizens of Cyprus and of the other countries of the European Economic Area
  • foreign nationals who are of Cypriot origin on their mother's or father's side, provided that they furnish the identity card issued by the Identity Cards Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when registering
  • political refugees
  • foreign spouses of Cyprus nationals

If a person who has submitted an application for help with finding work refuses to attend a recruitment interview or refuses an offer of employment without good reason, the application is struck off.

Opening hours

  • Daily: 08:00–12:00
  • Thursdays: 08:00-12:00 and 15:00–18:00 (except in July and August).

Cyprus also has private consultancies which provide specialised services to persons who are looking for work and to employers.

Some of the private employment agencies specialise in management personnel and others in specific sectors such as the hotel professions and unskilled and technical staff.

Employment can also be found in other ways, such as by looking through the job advertisements in the local newspapers. The websites of the main newspapers in Cyprus can be accessed through the official website of the Republic. Because of the small size of the island, many people find employment through acquaintances and friends.

Further Information

  • Euro-advisers at the Department of Labour of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance:
    Tel: 22400817 and 22400836
  • Text last edited on: 06/2006

Applications 

The various organisations in Cyprus usually announce their interest in hiring workers for specific jobs and specialisations through the press. However, a person can send in an application without waiting for something to be advertised. In such cases, the organisation either calls the applicant for an interview or keeps the application for when a need arises in the future.

Job applications can be sent to an organisation by post or be handed in; they can also be sent by email if the particular organisation has that facility. Large organisations have special job application forms which can be obtained directly from the organisation or from its website if it has one. In most cases, however, the curriculum vitae method is used.

The job application form or the curriculum vitae should be accompanied by a short letter stating the reasons for the request for employment. The letter should not be longer than two typewritten pages.

The curriculum vitae should be typewritten and be about two pages long. It should provide the following main items of information: personal details; academic qualifications; work experience; other information (including interests and activities, special achievements, knowledge of foreign languages and of computer programs).

The evaluation of applications usually takes about two months in the private sector. Public sector employers and other large organisations may take longer than two months.

The evaluation process usually includes an interview with the personnel manager or with the head of the department in which the vacancy exists and a second interview with the senior management of the organisation. In recent years, some large organisations have included written examinations and the use of assessment centres in the evaluation process.

Copies of diplomas and certificates relating to the curriculum vitae may be requested at the interview.

The written examinations include the testing of analytical and numeracy skills and of written communication and comprehension of texts. The use of personality tests has also become more widespread in recent years. For secretarial posts, there are also typing tests.

Assessment centres for recruitment purposes are organised mainly by large organisations such as banks. The centres set up a series of exercises such as case studies, role play, group discussion and presentations which simulate the requirements and duties of the particular job.

Medical examinations are sought only for jobs in the wider public sector.

Text last edited on: 06/2006

Recognition of diplomas and qualifications

Where the legislation stipulates that admission to and the pursuit of a profession requires specific academic and/or professional qualifications, a person wishing to pursue such a profession must submit an application to that effect to the body which is competent under the law, together with evidence of possession of the qualifications and a request to be granted a licence to pursue the profession.

With the introduction of the 2004 legislation the necessary legislative framework was created for the equal treatment of Cyprus nationals and citizens of the other Member States of the European Union regarding access to regulated professions in Cyprus.

The legislation provides that where the pursuit of a regulated profession in the Republic requires possession of specific qualifications the competent bodies in the Republic may not deny access to the profession to a national of a Member State of the European Union, either as an employed person or as a liberal professional, by invoking a lack of qualifications when the person in question possesses the requisite qualifications for the pursuit of that profession in another Member State.

The competent body which regulates each profession under the law is empowered to receive and examine applications from persons who wish to pursue the profession and to issue a licence for that purpose, and must inform the applicant of its decision within four months and provide a full statement of its reasons.

Where there is any doubt concerning the academic recognition of a diploma, the competent body may seek the opinion of the Cyprus Council for the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications (KYSATS).

The Department of Labour of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance is the national reference body which provides information to nationals of the Member States of the European Union who wish to pursue a regulated profession in the Republic, and to nationals of the Republic who wish to pursue a regulated profession in another Member State.

Further Information

  • Ministry of Labour
    Tel    : 22400844
  • Cyprus Council for the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications (KYSATS)
    Tel: 22800891

The competent body for the provision of information about professional qualifications and regulated professions is the Department of Labour:

  • Tel: 22400844

Text last edited on: 06/2006

Conclusion of employment contracts 

Recruitment in the public sector as a whole is preceded by the advertisement of vacancies and is carried out by special independent services or by the board of management (in the case of semi-public organisations). In the private sector, the specific terms of a recruitment may be based on the collective agreement which is in force or be set out in an individual contract.

Direct or indirect discrimination in employment on grounds of race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation and age, or with reference to special needs, is prohibited. Most workers belong to a trade union and are covered by collective agreements.

The Employer's Obligation to inform Employees of the Particulars of their Contract of Employment Law (No 100(I)/2000) obliges the employer to provide each employee with the following information concerning the employment relationship:

  • the particulars of the parties (employer and employee)
  • the place at which the employee will provide the labour
  • the registered address of the organisation
  • a description of the post or of the employee's specialisation and grade, the category of the employment and the work objective
  • the commencement date of the employment
  • the duration of the employment (if it is of fixed term)
  • the paid holiday entitlement of the employee and the time and method of its provision
  • the period of notice for termination of the employment
  • the remuneration of the employee
  • the hours of employment (on a daily or weekly basis)
  • the collective agreements which govern the employee's terms of employment and working conditions
  • The information listed above must be provided either in the letter of recruitment or in the employment contract or in any document, such as a collective agreement, which bears the signature of the employer.

The information must be provided no later than one month after the commencement of the employment.

Where the employee will be employed abroad, the following additional information must be given in the employment document:

  • the duration of the employment abroad
  • the payment currency
  • any benefits in money or kind which attach to the requirement for absence from Cyprus
  • any terms attaching to repatriation
  • An employer who fails to comply with the above-mentioned requirements is subject to penalties.

Complaints may be addressed to the Department of Labour Relations, which is responsible for these matters.

Further Information

  • Department of Labour Relations
    Tel    : 22401695/6

Text last edited on: 06/2006

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