Key Figures Reflect Marginal Growth In The State Workforce
State employment in Cyprus reached 55,367 in March 2026, an increase of 42 employees compared with March 2025. The change corresponds to annual growth of 0.1%, according to Cystat. For January–March 2026, average employment increased by 0.2% compared with the same period in 2025.
Shifts In The Civil Service And Security Forces
Employment trends varied across sectors. Civil service staff declined by 0.8%, from 23,198 to 23,013 employees. Security forces recorded a 0.7% decrease, from 13,832 to 13,734. Education staff increased by 1.8%, rising from 18,295 to 18,620.
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Differentiated Trends In Employment Categories
By contract type, employees with indefinite contracts increased by 1.7% to 9,617. Permanent staff rose by 0.1% to 32,900. Employees on definite duration contracts declined by 2% to 6,318, while hourly paid staff decreased by 0.3% to 6,532.
Sector-Specific Contractual Adjustments
Civil service permanent staff decreased to 11,934. Indefinite contracts declined by 3.1% to 4,030, while definite duration contracts increased by 0.5% to 1,437. Hourly paid roles fell by 0.8% to 5,612. In the education sector, permanent staff remained at 12,446 with a slight decrease. Indefinite contracts increased by 24.9% to 1,184. Definite duration contracts rose by 2.1% to 4,843, while hourly paid staff increased by 5% to 147. Security forces recorded a 0.7% increase in permanent staff to 8,520 and a 1.3% rise in indefinite contracts to 4,403. Hourly paid roles increased by 2.7% to 773. Employees on definite duration contracts in the security forces declined by 85.9%, from 269 to 38, following contract expirations in July 2025.
Year-To-Date Trends And Terminology Update
For January–March, civil service employment declined by 0.9%, while education increased by 1.9%. Security forces recorded a 0.2% decrease. Permanent staff increased by 0.2%, and indefinite contracts rose by 1.6%. Definite duration contracts and hourly paid roles declined by 1.2% and 0.4%. Cystat replaced the term “government” with “state employees” starting from March 2026 without affecting historical comparability.
