Only 44 persons with disabilities have been hired into the civil service between 2010 and 2024, despite legislation requiring that 10% of newly created public posts be filled by persons with disabilities.
The figures, presented this week during a joint session of the House Education and Labour Committees, have reignited debate over whether the law on the recruitment of persons with disabilities in the wider public sector is being meaningfully implemented or simply exists on paper.
According to data submitted to MPs, just six persons with disabilities were hired into the civil service in 2024. In public education, 291 individuals were recruited over the same 14-year period.
Under the law, which came into force in 2010, 10% of newly advertised positions must be reserved for persons with disabilities, provided they meet the relevant criteria set out in the service schemes.
“Something is not working”
Representatives of the Social Welfare Deputy Ministry, through an official from the Department of Social Inclusion, reiterated that the 10% quota applies to new posts and is conditional on candidates satisfying the established qualifications.
The Public Service Commission cautioned against evaluating the figures in isolation. It noted that recruitment outcomes depend not only on the number of posts advertised but also on how many applicants meet the eligibility criteria. In many cases, applications are submitted by individuals who ultimately do not qualify, affecting the final result.
Nevertheless, AKEL MP and Chair of the House Labour Committee Andros Kafkalias was sharply critical of the results.
“These are not the numbers we should be seeing,” he said, stressing that only six persons with disabilities were hired into the civil service in 2024 and that the total since 2010 stands at just 44. “The implementation of the legislation is not going well,” he added.
Education sector: Quota applied with limitations
With regard to public education, the Ministry of Education clarified that responsibility for implementing the quota lies with the Educational Service Commission.
The Commission stated that the 10% rule is applied. However, in cases where fewer than five positions are advertised, the quota cannot be activated and is carried forward to subsequent years. Officials argued that this technical limitation partly explains the low annual figures.
Concerns over disability assessment
The Commissioner for Administration also intervened in the discussion, noting that her office has received complaints not only about recruitment but also about the absence of reasonable accommodations in the workplace, which employers are legally obliged to provide to employees with disabilities.
The President of the Cyprus Confederation of Organisations of the Disabled, Themis Anthopoulou, argued that if the 10% quota were implemented in practice as intended, recruitment numbers would be significantly higher.
She identified the disability assessment process as a central problem. In several cases, she said, assessments are carried out by individuals lacking the necessary medical expertise, leading to questionable diagnoses and the exclusion of candidates from special recruitment lists.
Beyond hiring: The issue of accommodations
From the teachers’ unions, Dimitris Taliadoros, President of OELMEK, acknowledged that the education sector offers a degree of transparency due to the publication of appointment lists. However, he pointed to shortcomings in the placement and facilitation of teachers with disabilities.
In some instances, he suggested, better use could be made of secondments to services within the Ministry of Education.
Similar concerns were raised by POED Secretary General Haris Charalambous, who highlighted cases of teachers who enter the system without a disability but acquire one later in life. He noted the absence of a clear and fair institutional framework to support them.
Representatives of the Ministry of Education conceded that, although accommodations are often provided in practice, they are not formally institutionalised, at a time when the number of teachers living with chronic illness or disability is rising.
A gap between law and reality
Sixteen years after the adoption of the 10% quota, the data presented to Parliament suggest a persistent gap between legislative intent and practical outcomes.
While institutions point to procedural constraints and eligibility requirements, MPs and disability organisations argue that the spirit of the law, meaningful inclusion in the public sector, remains only partially fulfilled.
Whether the debate will translate into structural changes or remain another parliamentary discussion on compliance is now the question facing policymakers.