Half of all workers in Cyprus paid €1,500 or less, bottom 10% get €750 to €1,000

A survey of the jobs market has found hundreds of vacancies around Cyprus but most in low-paid occupations, also revealing that half of all workers on the island are paid €1,500 or less a month.

The survey in Phileleftheros, also citing the statistical service, found that 50 per cent of people receive a salary of between €1,000 and €1,500. The bottom 10 per cent in this category are paid a mere €750 to €1,000 at a time when the government is involved in terse negotiations with unions over the creation of a minimum wage.

Only around 15 per cent of workers in Cyprus are paid between €1,500 and €2,000 while 10 per cent receive €2,000 to €2,500. The remaining 25 per cent are paid between €2,500 and €5,000 or more a month.

According to the research those Europeans who come to Cyprus seeking work mainly consist of people from Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and the UK. Most work in the services sector or at unskilled jobs.

There are a high number of vacancies for factory workers, shop assistants, drivers, skilled construction workers, waiters, cooks, carers, medical assistants, salespeople and cashiers.

For people with a higher skill level, there are jobs as technical consultants, computer engineers, telecommunications workers, marketing execs and accountants among others.

The research showed that roughly, a cook’s salary is in the region of €1,100, a hotel clerk €1,050, a receptionist €1,050 and a restaurant waiter €950.

The average salary for a shop assistant is €990, for a supermarket clerk €880, for a bakery cashier €900 and a warehouse worker €1,150.

An air conditioning technician’s salary is around €1,100, a mobile phone technician €1,200, and an elevator engineer €1,290. Jobs in computing run from €20,000 to €30,000 a year at lower levels.

The construction sector is still one of the biggest employers involving various professions. From the survey, the average salary of a builder is €1,200, a crane operator €1,900, a welder €1,750, a heating installer €1,190, an architect €2,300, an engineer €2,700, and a civil engineer €2,500.

In professions related to accounting and finance, the average salaries reported are: accountant €1,500, auditor €2,700, financial analyst €3,000, risk analyst €2,500, tax consultant €2,900 and secretary €1,200.