Cyprus' state workforce increased by 1.2 percent in September 2026, driven by hiring in the educational and security sectors.

The state workforce in Cyprus reached 53,152 employees in September 2026, marking a 1.2 percent increase from the 52,530 recorded a year earlier. According to data from the statistical service, Cystat, the growth was primarily driven by hiring in the educational and security sectors, which offset a decline in civil service staffing.

Sector Employment Trends

Employment in the educational service rose by 4 percent, adding 632 employees to reach a total of 16,485. The security forces also saw growth, increasing by 2 percent to 13,855 personnel. Conversely, the civil service, which remains the largest of the three sectors, experienced a 1.2 percent decline, with its workforce falling from 23,098 to 22,812 employees.

Employment Categories and Contract Types

Permanent employment was the only category to record an overall increase across the state workforce, rising 3.2 percent to 33,893. Other categories saw declines: indefinite-duration contracts fell by 1 percent to 9,421, fixed-term employment dropped by 9.1 percent to 3,161, and hourly paid workers decreased by 0.5 percent to 6,677. In the security forces, fixed-term employment saw a sharp 97.7 percent decline, falling from 87 to just two employees, which Cystat attributed to the completion and non-renewal of specific contracts.

Nine-Month Averages

For the first nine months of 2026, the average number of state employees increased by 0.4 percent compared to the same period in 2025. During this timeframe, average civil service employment fell by 1 percent, while average employment in the educational service rose by 2.3 percent and the security forces saw a 0.5 percent increase.