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Cyprus Unemployment Falls To 4% In First Quarter

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

June 1, 2026

Improved Unemployment Figures Signal Economic Recovery

Cyprus’ unemployment rate fell to 4% in the first quarter of 2026, down from 5% in the same period a year earlier, according to data released by Cystat. The number of unemployed people declined to 21,246 from 26,161 in Q1 2025, reflecting continued strength in the country’s labour market.

Gains In Employment Across All Demographics

Employment increased across the economy, with the number of employed persons rising to 510,265 from 493,272 in the first quarter of 2025. As a result, the employment rate reached 62.1%, up from 61.2% a year earlier, while the labour force expanded to 531,511 people, representing 64.7% of the population. The unemployment rate stood at 4% for both men and women. Among people aged 20 to 64, the employment rate increased to 81.5%, indicating continued gains across core working-age groups.

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Sectoral Contributions And Contract Trends

Services remained the largest source of employment, accounting for 81.8% of all jobs. Industry represented 16.3% of employment, while agriculture accounted for 1.9%. Part-time employment rose slightly to 8.9% from 8.8% in the first quarter of 2025. The share of workers employed on temporary contracts increased more noticeably, reaching 14.5% compared with 12.9% a year earlier.

Youth Unemployment: A Growing Concern

Despite broader labour market improvements, unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 increased to 13.1% from 11.2% in the same quarter of 2025. The youth unemployment rate was higher among men at 15.8%, compared with 10.5% among women. At the same time, 63.9% of unemployed people had been searching for work for less than six months, while the share of long-term unemployed fell to 20.3% from 23.5% a year earlier.

Conclusion

The latest figures point to continued improvement in Cyprus’ labour market, supported by rising employment and lower overall unemployment. However, the increase in youth unemployment suggests challenges remain for younger job seekers despite broader gains across the economy.

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Cyprus Has One Of The EU’s Oldest Teaching Workforces

by News Editor

August 18, 2026

Only 3% of teachers in Cyprus are under 30, putting the country alongside Portugal for the lowest share of young teachers in the European Union, according to a European Commission report. The figure is well below the EU average of 8%, while Malta has the highest proportion at 17%, followed by Belgium and Luxembourg at around 15%.

Cyprus is also the only EU member state identified in the report as having a surplus of teachers, despite the workforce being relatively old.

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Older Teachers Remain Highly Satisfied

The teaching profession appears to remain attractive to those already working in it. In 2024, 73% of Cypriot teachers said they were satisfied with their salaries, compared with just 37.3% across the EU. Job satisfaction was also high, reaching 93% in Cyprus versus 90% across the bloc.

The age gap is particularly visible in secondary education, where teachers in Cyprus averaged 46 years old in 2024, compared with 45 across OECD member states. Only 4% were under 30, while 33% were aged 50 or older.

Reform Could Change The System

The findings come as Cyprus moves toward the final stage of its teacher evaluation reform. Until August next year, vacancies will continue to be divided between the old appointment list and the newer system introduced in 2015.

From next September, first-appointment vacancies will be filled exclusively through the new list. The European Commission has meanwhile called for stronger efforts to attract and retain younger teachers, including through better working conditions and greater support for people entering the profession.