Labour ministry has drawn up an action plan for employee development

Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou said on Thursday that his ministry has drawn up an action plan that includes targeted actions and initiatives to support the drive for continuous professional development, retraining and re-skilling for employees, in the context of the European Year of Skills.

Addressing a conference of the Cypriot Human Resources Management Association (CyHRMA), the minister said the development of human resources is vital, in order to face the new challenges and shape the future, as it contributes to increasing productivity, competitiveness and resilience, social cohesion and economic prosperity.

“In order to be able to substantively tackle the challenges and deal with the opportunities entailed through the ‘green transition’ and the ‘digital transition’, and working with the social partners, particularly the trade unions, we have a specific plan in place to boost our country’s human resources.”

Panayiotou said the action plan would be submitted to the cabinet next week. The plan would be presented to the public on June 2.

It will be based on three pillars – promoting professional specialisation and certification, promoting a modern professional culture, and promoting targeted professional learning.

“For each of these [pillars], we know exactly what we have to do. We’ve secured the required funds and have mapped out the population groups which we want to focus on.

“Over the coming days we’ll also announce our numerical goals, which will pertain to several dozens of workers which we want to cover over the next year.”

Panayiotou said that the ministry promotes effective and efficient human resource management practices and provides all necessary support and guidance to those working in this field.

“By promoting work-life balance and enhancing the sense of purpose, we can create a wave of productivity that will benefit both people and organisations and lead to a prosperous and just society,” he said.

In her own remarks, Elena Stavrinou, head of the Cyprus Human Resources Management Association said that “work as we knew it no longer exists and has changed irreversibly.

“For the first time we need to manage intercultural teams with different backgrounds and demographics, which are no longer homogeneous – in terms of age, characteristics, experiences, culture with no common workspace or work schedules and work relationships.”

She added that the work environment has largely lost its physical characteristics, acquiring a ‘non-material’ form.