Examining process for requests for work permits from third country nationals has been significantly accelerated, Labor Minister Yiannis Panayiotou said on Thursday, following a meeting with representatives from the tourist industry, in the presence of Tourism Deputy Minister Costas Koumis.

Panayiotou said that the completion of applications examination exceeds 95%, thus safeguarding full staffing ahead of the summer season.

The Minister noted that the process lasts less than two months compared to five months in the past. More than 85% of the requests submitted until the end of May was completed in terms of examining, he said. By the end of May a total of 4146 new permits have been issued.

Labor Minister also said that the Department of Labor's employment service for foreigners has been reorganized to become more efficient, adding that all procedures are now more simplified. In addition, an IT contractor has already been assigned to develop an electronic platform to submit and manage the requests and bilateral agreements with third countries to staff the labor market have already begun.

According to Panayiotou it is estimated that by the end of 2024 the full upgrade will be in place, ensuring an even greater acceleration in the processes.

Labor Minister also said that statistical figures show that there is a reduction in unemployment and an increase in employment, adding that there is an upward trend in wages.

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Costas Koumis said that the procedures in place have contributed in a great progress as regards the numbers of applications that have been examined.

He said that this progress is for the benefit of the economy. Koumis said that solutions are under way to manage the issue of understaffing or lack of employees, recalling that an agreement was already signed with Egypt.

He also pointed out that the huge needs for employing staff from third countries or other European countries are also due to the huge increase in tourism in the last decade.

He noted that a similar performance to last year is expected for 2024, as was the goal of the Deputy Ministry, adding that last year there were record revenues and a 20% increase in arrivals.

Head of the Association of Hoteliers (PASYXE), Thanos Michaelides, spoke of a significant improvement in the process of work applications for the hotel industry. He explained that this is a result of a long consultation with the Ministry of Labor and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, in an effort to smooth out the difficulties of previous years.

President of the Cyprus Tourism Enterprises Association (STEK) Akis Vavlitis also noted the improvement in the examination of employment applications and expressed the hope that in the future the examination of applications will be further accelerated.

However, he noted that tourism businesses have never aimed to replace Cypriot hotel workers with workers from third countries, noting the importance of human resources for hotels.