Cyprus has one of the lowest remote-work rates in Europe. However, survey data shows that flexibility is now among the workplace benefits employees value most.
For business leaders wondering whether hybrid work is worthwhile, the data provides a clear answer.
Workers have options
By the third quarter of 2025, unemployment in Cyprus had fallen to 4.1%, according to the Cyprus Statistical Office. This is close to full employment, meaning businesses across sectors are competing for a limited pool of available talent. Candidates are not simply accepting the first role available. They are comparing what different employers offer.
A survey conducted by CYMAR on behalf of KonnektTalexio in January 2025, with a nationally representative sample of 500 individuals, found that 67.1% of respondents were open to changing jobs, whether actively looking or considering it.
When most of the workforce is at least passively open to another role, retention cannot be assumed. Employees who feel that their employer is not keeping pace with the market may not even need to search. Opportunities can come to them.
Salary comes first, then what?
The survey shows what drives job changes. Salary and benefits rank as the most important factors, ahead of career advancement and job security. Without a competitive pay offer, other job elements lose their appeal. Employers who lead in every area but pay are on shaky ground.
Once salary expectations are met, candidates look for something else: greater control over how and where they work. Work autonomy, the working environment and flexible or remote options all rank highly.
Salary gets an employer into consideration. Flexibility can distinguish it when a candidate is choosing between similar roles.
The benefits that matters most
When respondents were asked which benefits they valued, flexible working hours topped the list, with remote-work flexibility close behind. These preferences ranked above vehicle allowances, complimentary meals, childcare support, tuition reimbursement and several other benefits.
The pattern is consistent. Candidates want control over when they work and where they work. They want to know their employer trusts them to get the job done without needing to be in the office every day.
In a country where the cost of living has risen steadily, this is not only about convenience. For workers based around high-cost areas such as Limassol, hybrid arrangements can reduce commuting and make it possible to live further from the office. They can save both money and time, making flexibility more valuable than many traditional workplace perks.
According to Eurofound data reported in 2025, Cyprus recorded the lowest rate of remote work in Europe in 2024, with only 22% of workers having any remote arrangement. The gap between employee demand and what employers currently provide creates an advantage for companies willing to offer genuine flexibility.
What this means for employers
For organisations thinking about how to attract and retain people in a tight labour market, the starting point is not a new policy, but a different way of measuring performance.
When the focus moves from where someone sits to what they actually deliver, the case for hybrid work becomes practical rather than philosophical. Employers who make that shift find they are not just accommodating a preference, but also expanding the pool of people willing to work for them.
"When we look at what candidates are telling us through the data, we see that salary gets the conversation started, but autonomy over time and location is what makes people stay." — Christiana Palla, Director and Country Manager, KonnektTalexio Cyprus.
Flexibility affects the full people-operations journey, from attracting candidates to managing employees once they join. KonnektTalexio supports businesses across both stages. Konnekt helps employers understand the talent market and recruit people whose expectations match the organisation. Talexio provides the HR systems needed to manage working arrangements and wider people processes consistently.
Businesses looking to strengthen how they attract and manage talent as workplace expectations change can reach the KonnektTalexio Cyprus team at cyprus@konnekt.com
Data sources: Cyprus Statistical Office; CYMAR survey conducted on behalf of KonnektTalexio in 2025, nationally representative sample, n=500, ±4.4% margin of error at 95% confidence level; Cyprus Mail, February 2025, reporting on Eurofound data.
*By Christiana Palla, Director and Country Manager, KonnektTalexio Cyprus
