Cyprus third among EU members in hosting EU workers

Cyprus is in third place among the 27 EU member states in hosting EU citizens in search of employment, in relation to the population of the country, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Sotiroulla Charalambous indicated today.

Addressing in Limassol a congress on the free movement of workers in the EU, the Minister said that the percentage of EU workers who look for a job in Cyprus is one of the highest in Europe.

According to recent Eurostat data, she said, Cyprus is in third place between EU member states as far as hosting EU citizens looking for a job is concerned, in relation to its population.

Charalambous added that after the EU accession of Cyprus in 2004 and the adoption of the euro in 2008, there is an influx of EU citizens looking for a job, originating mainly from Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.

Moreover, as she noted, in 2008 14% of the working population contributing to the national social insurance plan were EU nationals.

The job market, she said, has been drastically affected since the end of 2008, as the global financial crisis set in.

Concluding her remarks, she said the Ministry aims at effectively implementing the principle of free movement of workers and the principle of equal treatment among workers, irrespective of race, sex, national origin or other particular traits.