Third-country nationals can obtain work permits earlier through an expedited procedure, ensuring the tourism industry is adequately staffed and ready to handle the summer wave of tourists.
Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou said more than 95 percent of the tourism industry’s applications have already been reviewed.
“We’ve got enough staffing in place for the summer,” he said.
Minister Panayiotou, speaking after meeting with tourism industry representatives, noted that the processing period had been reduced from more than five months to less than two months.
A total of 4,146 new permits were issued through the end of May this year, supporting the Ministry of Labor’s forecast of 4,000 to 6,000 new permits.
Panayiotou said upgrading and modernization, as well as labor market-related bilateral agreements with third countries, “will further expedite the process” by the end of 2024.
The minister assured that “constructive cooperation” with social partners would continue in the interest of economic growth and social cohesion.
He also cited Statistics Service data showing that unemployment is falling while wages are “trending upwards.”
“Local human resources are insufficient to cover the entire additional labour demand and we need to utilise workers from overseas,” he said.
Deputy Tourism Minister Costas Koumis, who attended the meeting, said great progress had been made on the labour side of tourism.
Solutions can be found in the open market, he said.
Koumis noted that the growing influx of tourists over the past decade has increased the demand for staff.
He said Cyprus recorded record revenues last year and visitor numbers increased by 20 percent, and similar levels were expected this year.
Thanos Michaelides, president of the Cyprus Hotels Association (Pasyxe), noted that work permit procedures in the hotel industry have been significantly improved.
Akis Vavritis, president of the Cyprus Tourism Enterprises Association (Stek), said the aim was not to replace Cypriot staff in hotels with workers from third countries.
He explained that since the pandemic, Western staff have left the tourism industry for other sectors, creating the need to hire staff from third countries.
Both Michaelides and Vavritis expressed hope that the permitting process would be further expedited.
