Thirty-nine undeclared salaried employees were identified by the labour inspection department in April following checks at 156 locations, the department said on Tuesday.

Sixteen fines, totalling to €88,200, were given.

The department said that the purpose of the inspections was to raise awareness of the consequences of undeclared work.

Of the 156 premises, 147 were employers and nine were self-employed individuals, with 434 workers checked altogether.

Under Cyprus law, if an undeclared worker is identified by the Social Insurance department, a €1,000 fine is imposed on each employee for every month of the violation, with a €500 increase every six months.

If repeat violations are found within two years, the fine increases to €2,000 for the second infraction within the time frame and €3,000 for the third and further infractions.

According to the department, of the 434 workers inspected, 142 were Greek Cypriots, four were Turkish Cypriots, 110 were European Union citizens and a 178 were third country nationals.