Restaurant owners in Polis Chrysochous region calling for changes to foreign worker regulations as they face persistent staffing challenges ahead of the new season.
The issues were raised during the local restaurant association’s New Year celebration, where business owners highlighted the need to extend third-country worker replacement permits from six months to one year, citing high costs and administrative burden of frequent renewals.
SIKAP President and Paphos Deputy Mayor Angelos Onisiforou attended the meeting where owners emphasised the acute staff shortage in the region, noting that despite offering legally mandated wages and contract terms, they struggle to attract Cypriot and EU workers.
The association is pushing to increase the permitted ratio of third-country workers from 50% to 80% of total EU staff per establishment, a proposal previously raised by the SIKAP president in a recent public statement.
Despite these challenges, restaurant owners in the Polis Chrysochous region declared their readiness for the upcoming tourist season.
According to the Ministry of Interior, 18,055 third-country nationals voluntarily left or were deported from Cyprus since the current administration took office in March 2023.
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