Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Soteroula Charalambous has assured that the Government will continue efforts to combat unemployment and promote growth, noting that things were difficult and that growth was the key to combating unemployment and reversing the situation.
Addressing a seminar, Charalambous said unemployment rose due to the effects of the global financial crisis, the fact that the labour market in Cyprus had changed since 2004, especially after the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU, since the labour market was no longer regulated, and due to the structural problems the crisis highlighted.
Charalambous referred to the policies and programmes promoted by the Ministry of Labour to support employment and reduce unemployment, and that things would have been much worse had such programmes not been adopted.
“The key to combating unemployment and reversing this difficult situation is growth,“ she said, adding that great opportunities would be opening in the sector of hydrocarbons and already studies were being carried out to determine future needs in employment.