Cyprus has extended the list of vacancies for employment of third-country students

Cyprus has extended the decree allowing foreign students to work on the island.

At the same time, the Labour Ministry has expanded the list of jobs available to potential employees and increased the number of working hours from 20 to 25 per week.

According to a decree issued by Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou on 2 May, the list of permitted occupations has been expanded to include:

1. Retail salesperson (provided that recruitment is preceded by a labour market check),
2. a loader in retail trade,
3. an employee of an animal shelter.

The list of economic activities and occupations in which foreign students may be employed is thus complete:

1. Trade and construction (loaders, labourers, petrol station attendants and car washers)
2. the private housing sector (domestic workers - cleaning, cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc.);
3. Manufacturing (workers in bakeries, food and feed companies, sewage treatment plants and night shift workers in manufacturing plants);
4. Agriculture, livestock and fisheries (workers on farms, livestock farms and fish farms);
5. Other economic activities (cleaners on building sites, distributors of promotional products, etc.);
6. Catering (food delivery workers, kitchen assistants, cleaners, waiters, etc.);
7. Hotel sector (kitchen assistants, cleaners, waiters, bartenders, etc.);
8. the restaurant and entertainment sector (kitchen assistants, cleaners, waiters, bartenders, etc.).

Remember that the innovations concern the employment of students from third countries who were in Cyprus on 1 March 2024.

Previously, this right was only available to students who had taken up residence in the island state by 31 January 2022 at the latest. In addition, students in Cyprus were only allowed to work in a limited number of sectors and only during their free time. They had to submit an employment contract to the Ministry of Labour in order to obtain the permit. The decree allowing foreign students to work in Cyprus was due to expire in March 2024, so the Labour Ministry decided not only to extend it, but also to broaden it.

Panayiotou described the opening of the labour market to third-country students as "useful and necessary". In his view, the combination of university education and professional employment for foreign students could be a means of improving the quality of the service sector and meeting the seasonal needs of the Cypriot economy, as well as an incentive for job creation.

The proper use of the increased access of third-country nationals to the labour market will have a positive impact on the development of Cyprus through a legal and transparent human resources policy and the further development of the Cypriot higher education sector. With this approach, which does not deprive locals of opportunities, the continued use of foreign labour will be very useful and necessary," the minister said.

Panayiotou estimated the number of foreign workers at around 1.5 thousand and students from third countries at around 5 thousand. The priority for employers will remain the use of local and EU workers.