New data unveiled in Nicosia on 30 July show that foreign nationals account for roughly one in eleven jobs in Cyprus, with the proportion rising to almost 40 % in the hospitality sector. The figures were presented by Katerina Stefanou of the NGO Step Up Stop Slavery during a conference that also featured officials from the European Commission Representation in Cyprus and the Justice Ministry. Speakers warned that migrant employees are nearly three times more likely than Cypriots to fall victim to forced labour, citing International Labour Organisation statistics and an OSCE review that classifies labour exploitation as the fastest-growing form of human trafficking in Europe. The Host project, funded by the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, has so far trained more than 1 200 front-line staff—ranging from municipal clerks to hotel managers—to spot red flags such as passport confiscation or excessive brokerage fees. Justice-ministry representative Andreas Hatzigeorgiou told the audience that the government plans to link work-permit renewals to proof that employers provide written payslips and allow labour-inspector access to dormitories. Industry groups said they would cooperate but cautioned that smaller guesthouses may need financial support to meet new compliance standards. For corporate mobility teams the findings underscore the reputational and legal risks of ignoring supply-chain due-diligence obligations. Companies sending staff to Cyprus—especially in project-management roles—should review vendor contracts to ensure they include anti-trafficking clauses, and provide cultural-awareness training so expatriate managers can recognise potential abuse. Failure to act could trigger fines under Cyprus’ 2025 Anti-Trafficking Law and jeopardise the issuance of future work and residence permits. The conference concluded with a call for a standing public-private taskforce that would publish an annual “Trafficking Risk Map” of high-incidence districts—an initiative modelled on similar tools in Spain and the Netherlands.
Source: Cyprus Mail
