Cyprus Business Now

Government employment in Cyprus increased by 0.4 per cent year-on-year in September 2022, with the total number now standing at 52,601 members of staff, according to a report released this week by the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat).

The number of permanent staff fell by 3 per cent after 782 employees left, with the total number dropping from 26,392 to 25,610 people.

At the same time, temporary staff rose by 925 people (5.3 per cent), to 18,518 overall, up from 17,593 in September 2021.

Moreover, an increase was observed across all personnel categories, with the exception of Security Forces staff, which decreased by 2.1 per cent.

In addition, the largest increase took place in education service staff, which rose by 2.5 per cent, primarily due to a 13.1 per cent increase in temporary staff, compared to the same month from the previous year.

Compared to August 2022, government employees decreased across all categories, excluding education service members of staff, which rose by 1.5 per cent, mainly because of an 8.5 per cent rise in temporary employees.

The Paphos regional tourism board (Etap) this week released a statement congratulating the Kritou Tera community for being certified as a Colourful Village by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, as well as the community’s efforts in safeguarding and promoting its unique identity, heritage and natural landscape.

The board also said that it has worked closely with the village over the past few years to showcase the competitive advantages that it has to offer, particularly in terms of how it differs from other villages in Cyprus.

“Among other things, we managed to achieve an aesthetic upgrade, reducing visual pollution, preserving cleanliness, the utilisation and preservation of the natural environment, as well as the enrichment of the tourist experience for visitors through the authentic and unique experiences offered by the community,” Etap said.

“The Paphos board of tourism calls on all communities to focus on aesthetic upgrading, limiting visual pollution and maintaining cleanliness,” it added.

The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) ended Wednesday, October 12 with profits.

The general Cyprus Stock Market Index was at 74.35 points at 13:18 during the day, reflecting a rise of 0.22 per cent over the previous day of trading.

The FTSE / CySE 20 Index was at 44.61 points, which represents an increase of 0.20 per cent.

The total value of transactions came up to €57,280.

In terms of the sub-indexes, the main index rose by 0.25 per cent, while the alternative, hotel and investment firm indexes all remained stable.

The biggest investment interest was attracted by the Bank of Cyprus (+0.75 per cent) and the Cyprus Cement Public Company (no change).