Cyprus government employment rises by 3.9 per cent

Government employment in Cyprus recorded a 3.9 per cent increase in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period in 2023, according to a report released this week by the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat). 

According to the report, the total number of people employed by the government reached 52,452 in August 2024.  

During the period from January to August 2024, the average total government employment stood at 54,227 individuals, marking an increase of 2,019 people, 3.9 per cent, compared to the corresponding period in 2023. 

In August 2024, the civil service accounted for 23,314 employees. Of these, 12,035 were permanent employees, 4,222 employees on indefinite contracts, 1,209 employees on fixed-term contracts, and 5,848 hourly wage earners.  

Notably, permanent employees made up the largest proportion of the civil service workforce, representing 51.6 per cent, while those on fixed-term contracts represented the smallest propotion at 5.2 per cent. 

In the educational service, there were 15,193 permanent employees in total as of August 2024. This included 11,883 permanent employees, 1,155 indefinite contracts, 2,013 on fixed-term employees, and 142 hourly wage earners.  

Permanent employees also constituted the majority in this sector, representing 78.2 per cent of the workforce in this sector, with hourly wage earners making up 0.9 per cent, the smallest group. 

Similarly, the security forces recorded a total of 13,945 employees, with permanent employees again forming the majority.  

Of these, 8,354 were permanent employees, 4,547 employees on indefinite contracts, 296 fixed-term employees, and 748 were hourly wage earners.  

Permanent employees represented 59.9 per cent of the total, while those with fixed-term employees accounted for  2.1 per cent, the smallest share in this category.