2010 another difficult year for employment, says Cyprus Labour Minister

The Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Sotiroula Charalambous believes that 2010 will also be a difficult year for the employment sector.

Speaking in Larnaca where she attended religious celebrations for Epiphany Day, Charalambous said that her Ministry will continue to monitor very closely the employment sector to help support businesses and minimise the need to lay off staff.

The Minister, who was commenting on the slight decline in unemployment in December, said this was “a positive development” warning at the same time that “we must not become complacent and come to the conclusion that the problem has been overcome”.

“This year will also be difficult for the employment sector”, she pointed out.

She announced that a meeting will take place in mid January to review all policies followed so far to address the matter, while the National Employment Committee is scheduled to convene in mid February.

Charalambous noted that the Ministry did not feel comfortable with the situation, adding that “together with the social partners we shall continue planning policies to support employment”.