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Cyprus’s construction industry is facing a serious labor shortage, leading industry representatives to call for new policies to expand the workforce, including the temporary employment of asylum seekers.
The Federation of Associations of Building Contractors of Cyprus (OSEOK) raised the issue during a meeting with Labor and Social Insurance Minister Marinos Mousiouttas on December 22. According to the federation, the lack of both skilled and unskilled workers has become one of the most urgent challenges confronting the sector.
OSEOK President Stelios Gavriil told the minister that very few new workers have entered the construction profession from the local labor market in recent years. As a result, he said, the industry has become increasingly dependent on workers from third countries. Within this context, the federation proposed allowing asylum seekers to work in construction under special, time-limited work permits, arguing that the measure could help address imbalances in the labor market.
The discussion also addressed how third-country nationals currently working in construction are classified. OSEOK suggested that these workers be treated as new entrants until they acquire the necessary skills and qualifications. At the same time, the federation emphasized the need to expand Standard Occupational Qualifications to additional job categories, in line with collective agreements, so that professional competency can be clearly defined and verified.
Training was another major focus of the meeting. OSEOK proposed that responsibility for workforce training be assigned to the KEPO Training Center, which was established jointly by the federation and trade unions to support skill development in the construction industry.
Beyond labor issues, the federation also urged the government to reintroduce a grant program for replacing and upgrading construction equipment. Similar programs in the past, OSEOK noted, helped improve workplace health and safety standards.
The federation said it remains ready to continue working with the government to help shape policies aimed at strengthening and modernizing the construction sector.
