Government employment increases by 5.2 per cent in January

Government employment in Cyprus witnessed a significant increase of 2,687 people (5.2 per cent) in January 2024, compared to the corresponding month in 2023, reaching a total of 54,706 people, as reported by the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat) on Friday.

This rise is primarily attributed to the expansion in the staff of the education service, which experienced a notable rise of 13.5 per cent.

This increase is primarily a result of ending the service purchase regime in the supporting programmes of the Ministry of Education, commencing from the school year 2023–2024.

In addition, other personnel categories, including the public service, security forces, and hourly staff, also showed increases of 0.8 per cent, 2.8 per cent, and 1.8 per cent respectively, compared to January 2023.

Moreover, in comparison to December 2023, the most substantial change occurred in security forces personnel, with a 0.7 per cent increase.

Finally, employment levels in the remaining staff categories remained relatively stable, closely corresponding to those of December 2023.