The Ministry of the Interior is proceeding with radical changes in the staffing model of the 114 lifeguard towers and in the lifeguard certification system from 2027, with the aim of definitively addressing the long-standing staff shortages on Cypriot beaches.
In yesterday's broad meeting convened by the Minister of the Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, with the competent officials of the Service for the management of the beaches, instructions were given to review the status of the seasonality of lifeguards.
In particular, the possibility of abolishing three- and four-month employment, where there is a serious problem of filling positions, in contrast to longer-term jobs, which are of increased interest. At the same time, instructions were given to extend the working hours of lifeguards until 7:00 p.m. during the peak months (June, July and August).
A key point of the decisions is the replacement of the certificates of the Cyprus Lifeguard Federation by the Professional Qualifications Standard of the HRDA. With this transition, the certification passes to the HRDA, paving the way for training through private providers and Nautical Clubs. This move is expected to significantly expand the interest of candidates, while reducing the cost of obtaining the necessary certification.
The meeting examined the factors that affect the adequate staffing of the lifeguard towers with qualified personnel, which emerged through dialogue with all stakeholders. Specifically, there are two main reasons why 80 of the 374 lifeguard positions remain vacant:
The chronic problem of adequate filling of lifeguard positions is mainly found in shorter positions, especially in three- and four-month positions.The filling of the positions is also affected by the insufficient number of qualified lifeguards to cover the beaches.
The two issues are interlinked and a combination of ways to solve them can improve the current situation.
In this context, the Minister of the Interior took the initiative and gave instructions for the following, which will apply from 2027, given that the summer season of 2026 is coming to an end:
1. Evaluation of the existing duration of the positions, in order to decide on the possible abolition of shorter positions, mainly the three-month and four-month positions. As can be seen from the data maintained by the Ministry of the Interior, a significant number of three- and four-month positions remain empty over time, due to the lack of interest. Specifically, 28 out of 35 three-month positions, 19 out of 39 four-month positions and 31 out of 67 semesters remain vacant.
At the same time, for longer positions such as eight-month terms, there is increased interest in filling. Characteristically, only two out of 125 eight-month posts remain vacant, which shows that longer-term jobs are significantly more attractive, can attract interested parties and therefore have a much higher potential to be filled. With the offer of longer employment contracts, it is estimated that more than half of the 80 positions that remain vacant will be filled.
2. In relation to the opening hours of the lifeguard towers, it appears that the majority of them are staffed until 6:00 p.m. Taking into account that bathers remain on the beaches after this time, the Minister of the Interior gave instructions to extend the working hours of lifeguards in the three months of summer (June, July and August) until 7:00 p.m., given that during this period there is a higher number of visitors to the beaches.
At the same time, in consultation with the District Administrations, the local authorities and the other competent bodies, the adjustment of the opening time of the lifeguard towers according to the traffic and the danger of the beaches will be considered in the next intermission, on the one hand to offer greater coverage of bathers and on the other hand to have a uniform application of the opening hours.
3. The Minister of Interior, following a consultation that took place in the previous period between the competent Service of the Ministry with the Human Resource Development Authority (HRDA) and the trade unions, approved the promotion of the necessary actions to replace the hitherto accepted certificates/medals of the Cyprus Lifeguard Federation with the Professional Qualifications Standard of the HRDA.
In this way, the HRDA undertakes the certification of the training of lifeguards and consequently the possibility of training through private providers and through Nautical Clubs, which have a significant customer base, is expanded. Through this process, it is estimated that the number of candidate lifeguards can be substantially increased since there will be a larger pool of interested parties and, at the same time, the cost of securing the necessary certification can be substantially reduced.
What is happening today in the 114 lifeguard towers nationwide
The staffing program for 2026 has been drawn up with full utilization of the 2,958 approved man-months. The program may be adjusted during the period, depending on the recruitments that have actually been implemented, as well as the traffic and the danger of the beaches.
At the same time, the District Administrations may, where there is an increased need and available credits, extend the opening hours of specific lifeguard points through overtime. For2026, appropriations are available due to the non-filling of a number of approved positions.
It is noted that the revision of the National Beach Safety Plan "SALAMIS", which was formulated after the cooperation of all stakeholders, has recently been completed. Among the most important additions made to the plan is recorded, for the first time, the institutionalization of the annual preparation of Local Lifeguard Plans by the local authorities.
A key tool for their preparation is the risk study of each beach, on the basis of which the required number of lifeguard points, the opening hours and staffing needs will be documented, among other things.
The possibility, where this is documented by the risk study, of staffing a specific point with a smaller number of lifeguards can allow for more effective use of the available staff and the coverage of more points.
The Local Lifeguard Plans should be submitted by November 30 of each year and will be taken into account for the first time by the Ministry when preparing the staffing program for 2027.
Order in the operation of the beaches
The proper operation of the beaches includes, in addition to dealing with lifeguard staffing, other parameters, which at a later stage are estimated to be put on the table of the dialogue of the stakeholders involved. This includes, among other things, the clarification of the concept of "organized beach", through the definition of specific conditions and infrastructure for the safe operation of beaches.
Today, the "Beach Use Plans", on the basis of the "Beach Protection Law", only determine the placement of sea beds and umbrellas for the purpose of providing services, as well as the placement of boats, water sports and other objects for the purpose of providing facilities. The possible inclusion in the "Beach Use Plans" of specifications and infrastructure, such as changing rooms, toilets, lifeguard towers and other facilities, is estimated to bring order to the operation of the beaches, with the primary goal of the safety of bathers.
