Cyprus Parliament considers speeding up civil service hiring
On September 7, Cyprus’ parliament began considering three government bills aimed at streamlining and accelerating civil service recruitment procedures. The initiatives concern entry-level appointment positions, while some MPs and the trade union voiced objections to the proposed changes, Cyprus Mail reports.
Changes to exams and vacancy announcements
A representative of the finance ministry explained that the general written examination is proposed to be held after vacancies are published rather than beforehand, as is currently the case. According to the government’s plan, this would allow candidates to determine in advance whether they meet the requirements of specific positions before taking the exam.
All vacancies are also planned to be announced during the first two months of the calendar year instead of the first quarter. In addition, the Public Service Commission will ask candidates to indicate the order of priority of the positions for which they are applying.
Candidate priorities and the union’s position
If a candidate receives a position designated as their highest priority, he or she will be excluded from further consideration for other listed vacancies. The ministry believes this should end the practice of candidates moving between positions, which causes staff shortages in certain posts.
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Another proposal provides for increasing the weight of assessments by department heads from five to 15 points. Public Service Commission Chairman Yorgos Papageorgiou urged MPs to ensure that the legislation ultimately adopted genuinely makes the recruitment procedure more efficient. He said the current legal framework had reinforced the perception of the objectivity of selection criteria, citing as an argument only one appeal against an appointment decision filed over the past several years.
A representative of the attorney general’s office said the government bills do not contradict the constitution. At the same time, Isotita civil servants’ union head Prodromos Christofi said the union had not been involved in consultations. The ministry responded that the changes do not affect current employees, but Christofi noted that the union includes temporary workers who may apply for permanent positions. Akel MP Aristos Damianou called the recruitment system dysfunctional and said the party would prepare its own amendments.
As of July, the number of civil servants in Cyprus stood at 22,978. A total of 53,700 people worked in the public sector, including in the security services and public education.
