Total employment in Cyprus’ broad public sector reached 78,388 persons in the first quarter of 2026, marking a significant year-on-year increase, according to the state statistical service, Cystat.
- Total employment in Cyprus' broad public sector reached 78,388 persons in the first quarter of 2026, marking a significant year-on-year increase, according to the state statistical service, Cystat.
Employment within the general government stood at 73,236, while publicly owned enterprises and companies accounted for 5,152 positions. The general government category includes state employees, non-profit organisations, and local authorities, with total employment reaching 55,354 among state employees, 11,476 in non-profit organisations, and 6,406 in local authorities.
Comparing figures to the first quarter of 2025, employment in the public sector increased by 1,354 persons, representing a 1.8 per cent rise. This growth was primarily driven by local authorities, which saw an increase of 825 persons, or 14.8 per cent, climbing from 5,581 to 6,406 over the year.
Cystat attributed this surge to a boost in district local government organisations, where staffing rose by 512 persons, or 55.2 per cent, reaching 1,439 from 927 a year earlier. Central government also saw an uplift, with employment increasing by 339 persons, a 0.5 per cent rise year-on-year, bringing the total to 66,830.
The number of state employees specifically rose by 111 persons, or 0.2 per cent, from 55,243 to 55,354 in the same timeframe. Employment in non-profit organisations followed suit, increasing by 228 persons, or 2 per cent, from 11,248 to 11,476.
Publicly owned enterprises and companies recorded a yearly increase of 190 persons, translating to a 3.8 per cent rise, reaching 5,152 from 4,962 in the first quarter of 2025. In terms of a quarterly comparison, the broad public sector saw an increase of 264 persons, or 0.3 per cent, from the fourth quarter of 2025’s total of 78,124.
This quarterly growth was reflected across all main categories. Employment in central government rose by 49 persons, a 0.1 per cent increase, while local authorities experienced a more substantial rise of 181 persons, or 2.9 per cent. Publicly owned enterprises and companies also saw a modest quarterly increase, growing by 34 persons, or 0.7 per cent.
Within local authorities, employment in municipalities reached 3,907 in the first quarter of 2026, up from 3,856 in the previous quarter and 3,594 a year earlier, representing a quarterly increase of 1.3 per cent and an annual rise of 8.7 per cent.
Interestingly, employment in other local authorities remained unchanged at 1,060 persons, both compared with the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of the previous year. Cystat has also replaced the term ‘government’ with ‘state employees’ starting from the first quarter of 2026 for greater accuracy, although they clarified that this change does not affect the methodology or comparability of data over time.
