Migration flows
A journalistic investigation has revealed that, in 2010, 29,7 per cent of workers in Cyprus were non Cypriots. The high number is largely due to the continuous increase of migrant domestic workers, who rose from 19,373 in April 2008 to 24,032 in April 2010. According to social insurance registrations, EU and third country nationals were 114,583 in April 2010, compared to 95,873 in 2008. Third country nationals formed the largest category: 54,375 in April 2008 and 61,404 in April 2010. The Labour Minister stated that the increase in the social insurance registrations does not necessarily reflect an increase in the migration flows, adding that inspectors have intensified efforts to combat undeclared work as a result of which 2,045 undeclared EU nationals were located in 2009-2010, 90 per cent of whom were subsequently registered. She claimed that in 2010 there has been a decrease in the number of permits to employ foreign workers by 800: in 2009 3,834 permits were renewed and 887 new permits were issued, whilst in 2010 the corresponding figures were 2,557 and 499. Trade unionists complain that employers choose migrants over Cypriots because of their lower salaries and call for the fixing of a national minimum salary to include all industries not covered by collective agreements, so as not to leave gaps that employers can take advantage of. The employers’ union did not dispute the allegations that migrant workers are preferred over Cypriots and justified this by saying that Cypriots ask for unreasonably high salaries given the financial crisis.
Source:
Ο Φιλελεύθερος, 26.09.2010, http://www.philenews.com/Digital/Default.aspx?d=20100926&nid=2555732.
