CYPRUS MAY be in the grips of a recession and experiencing high unemployment, but it hasn’t dented the island’s demand for domestic servants from third countries.
This is the surprising outcome of the latest research by local economist and European University of Cyprus lecturer Alex Apostolides, who believes increasing arrivals may even expedite economic recovery, while the number of low skilled labourers from third countries has nearly doubled, and domestic maids nearly trebled.
Apostolides believes the surge in arrivals reflects a return to work by skilled female professionals, and the accompanying need to delegate household chores to low wage migrants.
“We notice that the number of maids and domestic workers has increased tremendously in recent years, while overall unemployment has not yet recovered to pre 2009.”
He explains that family incomes in Cyprus are under pressure, especially for the large number who have borrowed heavily. As a result, he says: “The women are going back to work and getting household workers.”
“It may be a social trend, in that we don’t want to clean our own houses any more, but would you expect demand for housework to rise in a recession?”
He thinks not, and so to support the view he cross checked several sets of government data.
The first set of data from the social insurance department’s statistical services clearly shows that between 2006 and 2010 the total number of employed non Cypriots almost doubled, from 60,917 to 114, 425.
Most of these came from other EU countries, with the total rising from 16,838 to 53,875.
Third country nationals, most of whom are strictly limited to menial jobs, rose from 45,868 in 2006 to 60,550 in 2010.
Of all the third country nationals, Vietnamese increased the most, trebling in just two years: from 4,000 in 2009 to an estimated 12,000 now.
Secondly, Apostolides compared the Labour ministry’s employment data, which shows overall unemployment is at an all time high and rising, female employment alone has not only recovered but is at the highest rate ever. Today 45.3 per cent of the Cypriot work force is female.
Finally, he analysed the increasing numbers of work permits issued to third country nationals.
Apostolides believes that the current migration system – while freeing up women to return to the workplace – is not all positive, as it effectively prohibits the development of the academic sector.
“We are just getting to grips with the data” Apostolides said, “but one thing is very clear.
“The whole system of migration based on the German model of the guest worker, who comes to Cyprus to work for a while then goes home, has failed.”
He said the labour market has become stratified into three levels: migrants, EU nationals and Cypriots and this is harming the island’s education aspirations.
“We are trying to develop as an academic centre, but how are we ever going to attract world students if they cannot work (in skilled positions)?”
