2025

There have been no reforms.

2024

The objectives of the Year of Youth 2024

The Council of Ministers, at its meeting in February 2024, decided regarding the achievement of the objectives of the year of youth 2024. The announcement of 2024 as the national year of youth aims to give visibility to youth issues, encourage the promotion of youth policies, enhance the participation of young people and their organizations in society and empower youth in general.
In the framework of the year of youth for Cyprus, new initiatives will be developed, and existing ones will be highlighted that support young people, their personal, social, economic, and professional development in a green, digital, and inclusive world. The activities will be in line with the objectives of the European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027, as well as the priorities of the Governance Program. Its design and implementation will be based on the principles of democracy, inclusiveness, and active participation.
The main objectives of the year of youth, as decided in the council of ministers, are: 

• The promotion of democratic participation and active participation of young people and their organizations in decision-making processes.
• The improvement of policies that affect young people.
• The enhancement of young people's skills to facilitate their integration into society and the labor market.
• The creation of entrepreneurial initiative opportunities for young people.
• The promotion of the inclusion and equal opportunities
• The strengthening of the mental health of young people, which is very high on the priorities of the European Union.
   

2023

Abolition of tuition fees in educational programs for holders of the European Disability Card

The Council of Ministers approved on June 21st, 2023, the Proposal of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth (MECSY) for the exemption of the holders of the European Disability Card from the tuition fees in educational programs of the Ministry.
Specifically, based on the decision, the holders of the European Disability Card are exempted from paying tuition fees in the programs of State Training Institutes, Training Centers, and Lifelong Vocational Training Programs.
This decision is the result of the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth with the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare and falls within the framework of the Ministry's efforts for the social integration of people with disabilities and for their easier access to education.

Labor supply and demand forecasts

The systematic monitoring and analysis of the long-term trends in the labor market as well as the prediction of the future situation, both for the quantitative needs and for the knowledge and skills required, are basic conditions for improving the adaptability of human resources and creating a flexible market work.
The provision of information on employment needs in sectors of economic activity and occupations as well as on the knowledge and skills needed in an increasingly competitive, complex and multicultural environment is becoming increasingly important. The transition to the green and digital economy, the increasing use of new technologies, automation and new forms of work have a significant impact on the required knowledge and skills of occupations, resulting in constantly changing labor market needs and a skills mismatch.
With the aim of addressing the problem of skill mismatch in the Cypriot labor market, in the National Reform Program of Cyprus, improving the relevance of education and training to the labor market has been set as a reform priority. The provision of valid information on the future needs of the labor market, plays a significant contribution to this effort. In this context, ANAD- HRDA (Human Resource Development Authority), utilizing its many years of experience and expertise in labor market matters, proceeded to prepare the present study.
The main purpose of the study is to provide forecasts for both the demand and the supply of labor in the Cypriot economy during the period 2022-2032. Demand forecasts are provided for 52 sectors of economic activity and 309 occupations, while supply forecasts are provided for the economy as a whole, by gender and by education level.

The  Policy and Procedures Guides for the Schemes "Single Business Training Programs in Cyprus" and "Single Business Training Programs in Cyprus (State Aid)"

The Cyprus Human Resources Development Authority (HRDA) informs all interested parties about the revision of the provisions of the Policy and Procedures Guides for the Schemes "Single Business Training Programs in Cyprus" and "Single Business Training Programs in Cyprus (State Aids)" (hereinafter "Schemes") , which come into effect for employer applications for approval of training programs submitted from 1 April 2023 onwards.
The differences in the provisions of each Plan relate to the calculation of the grant and specifically to the eligible expenditure for the hourly staff cost of trainees, which is determined as follows:
For programs classified in grant level 1: €10
For programs classified in grant level 2: €15
The evidence, in relation to the eligible expenditure of the staff costs of trainees, which needs to accompany the application for the payment of a grant are:

• Proof of payment of Social Insurance contributions for the months in which the training program was implemented.
• The "Employment" document with the details of each trainee, which can be extracted from the "Ergani" information system of the Social Insurance Services.

As a consequence, the submission of trainees' pay slips is no longer required.