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The EU’s High-Tech Sector: Where Women Are Leading The Charge

High-tech jobs now represent 5.2% of the workforce in the European Union, with over 10 million professionals making up this growing sector. However, when it comes to gender equality, the industry still has a long way to go.

As of 2023, women held just over 32% of high-tech positions, a modest dip of 0.6% from the previous year. Yet, there are some standout regions where women are leading the charge in high-tech careers.

One such area is the Hungarian region of Nyugat-Dunántúl, where women actually outnumber men, holding 50.2% of the high-tech jobs. Other regions with notably high female representation include Italy’s Marche region (48.6%) and Hungary’s Észak-Magyarország (48.1%).

On the flip side, Greece’s Thessalia region reported the lowest percentage of women in the sector, with just 8.3%.

When it comes to the total number of high-tech professionals, Germany and France dominate the landscape. Bavaria tops the list with a whopping 476,000 high-tech workers, followed closely by France’s Ile-de-France (469,100), and two other German regions—North Rhine-Westphalia (466,100) and Baden-Württemberg (434,100). At the other end of the scale, regions like Peloponnisos in Greece, Bolzano in Italy, and Crete in Greece reported the smallest numbers of high-tech professionals, each with fewer than 5,000.

As the high-tech industry continues to evolve, these regional disparities in both gender representation and job numbers underscore the work still needed to build a more inclusive and diverse workforce.

Cyprus’ Strong Youth Employment Rate Still Does Not Guarantee Early Independence

Young people in Cyprus have a relatively high employment rate, but they leave the parental home later than the EU average, according to Eurostat data.

Cypriots left home at an average age of 27 in 2025, compared with 26.3 years across the EU. At the same time, 72.3% of people aged 20 to 29 in Cyprus were employed, well above the EU average of 65.5%.

Strong Employment Does Not Mean Early Independence

Only nine countries recorded higher youth employment rates than Cyprus. Iceland led at 85.3%, followed by the Netherlands at 84%, Malta at 82.1%, Switzerland at 78.3% and Germany at 77%.

Norway recorded 76.5%, Ireland 76.1%, Denmark 74.8% and Austria 74.6%. Eurostat said countries where young people leave home earlier generally tend to have higher youth employment rates.

Southern Europe Sees Later Moves

Finland had the lowest average age for leaving the parental home at 21.4 years, followed by Denmark at 21.8 and Estonia and Lithuania at 22.7. Croatia recorded the highest average at 31.5 years, followed by Greece and Slovakia at 30.9. Spain and Italy both stood at 30.2 years.

Across the EU, the average has remained close to 26 since 2002, rising only slightly from 26.2 years in 2024 to 26.3 years in 2025.

Cyprus Labour Market Is Cooling

The figures come as Cyprus’ labor market shows some signs of easing, although demand for workers remains relatively strong by European standards.

Separate Eurostat data showed Cyprus had the EU’s largest annual decline in its job vacancy rate in the second quarter of 2026. The rate fell to 2.6% from 3.3% a year earlier, but remained above the EU average of 2.0% and the euro area average of 2.1%.

Cost Of Living Remains A Factor

Housing and other living costs can also affect how quickly young workers establish independent households. Eurostat reported that Cyprus’ household consumption price level was 89.2% of the EU average in 2025.

A relatively lower overall price level does not eliminate affordability pressures for people on modest incomes. For younger workers, the issue can be whether wages are sufficient to cover rent, utilities, food and other basic expenses.

Cyprus therefore combines relatively high youth employment with a later transition to independent living, suggesting that access to work and the ability to afford a separate household do not always move together.

Uol
Aretilaw firm
eCredo
The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties

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