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Cyprus Faces Deepening Labour Shortages In Health, Technology And Tourism

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 2, 2026

Cyprus is facing significant labour shortages across key sectors of its economy, according to the annual EURES report on labour shortages and surpluses for 2025, based on 2024 data. The findings point to persistent strain in the labour market and growing pressure on employers trying to fill critical roles.

Health, Technology And Tourism Lead The Shortage List

The most acute shortages are concentrated in health care, information technology and tourism — three sectors that are central to Cyprus’s economic model and service capacity.

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Within health care, the report highlights shortages among nurses, midwives, medical imaging technicians and doctors, with the lack of personnel described as particularly severe.

In technology, shortages are reported for systems analysts, software and applications developers, web and multimedia developers, and ICT sales professionals.

Tourism and hospitality are also under pressure, with vacancies affecting waiters, chefs, cooks, hotel reception staff and restaurant managers. The report also notes significant demand for bus drivers, underscoring broader transport constraints linked to the sector.

Medium And Lower-Intensity Gaps Across The Economy

The shortage is not limited to highly specialized professions. The report also identifies moderate shortages in occupations such as electricians, mechanical technicians, sales workers, cashiers, builders, welders, heavy vehicle drivers, and workers in agriculture, livestock and construction.

At a lower level of severity, shortages appear among engineers in various specializations, health assistants, carpenters, plumbers, electrical technicians and bakers.

Broader European Imbalances Remain Persistent

Across the European Union, EURES notes that labour shortages remain widespread, but are concentrated in a limited number of member states. That pattern, the report suggests, leaves room for stronger cross-border mobility as a policy tool.

In countries such as Bulgaria, Italy and the Netherlands, employers struggle to fill a broad range of positions. By contrast, Latvia, Austria and Finland more frequently report labour surpluses.

Notably, 98% of occupations experiencing shortages in at least one member state also show surpluses in another EU country, highlighting the scale of labour mismatches across the bloc.

What Is Driving The Imbalance

The report attributes these imbalances to several structural factors, including limited awareness of job opportunities abroad, difficulties in recognising professional qualifications, language barriers and wage differences.

Particular attention is given to health and care professions, where an ageing population is increasing demand for services. The same pressure is evident in green-transition occupations such as electricians and other skilled tradespeople.

Policy Responses And Workforce Priorities

Among the report’s key recommendations are simpler procedures for recognising qualifications, stronger vocational training, improved job quality and better use of untapped labour pools, including women, older workers and migrants.

For Cyprus, the message is clear: addressing labour shortages will require more than short-term hiring fixes. It will demand coordinated policy action, targeted skills development and a labour market capable of adapting to demographic and technological change.

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Only 1% Of Cyprus Farms Use Precision Farming Technologies

Cyprus remains one of the European Union’s least digitised agricultural economies, with just 1% of farms using precision farming technologies in 2023, according to Eurostat.

The findings come as the EU continues to encourage the adoption of digital tools aimed at improving agricultural productivity, efficiency and sustainability.

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Internet Access Expands, But Digital Uptake Lags

Internet access has improved across the bloc, although adoption remains uneven. Eurostat found that 43% of EU farms had internet access in 2023, with northern and central European countries leading the way.

Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Austria all reported internet access rates above 90%.

Greater connectivity, however, has not translated into widespread digital adoption. Farm management information systems, which help farmers manage day-to-day operations, were used by only about 11% of EU farms. France was a notable exception, with around 60% of farms using the technology.

Precision Farming Concentrated In Larger Operations

Robotics adoption also remained relatively limited, with only about 7% of EU farms using robotic technologies. Overall, around 18% of farms with utilised agricultural area employed at least one precision farming technology or practice in 2023.

These included robotics for plant protection, band spraying, variable-rate application, precision crop monitoring and soil analysis. Despite representing fewer than one in five farms, these holdings accounted for around 44% of the EU’s utilised agricultural area.

The figures suggest that precision farming remains concentrated among larger agricultural businesses, where investment in digital technologies is typically easier to support.

Cyprus Lags Behind EU Leaders

Luxembourg, Finland and Estonia recorded the highest shares of utilised agricultural area managed by farms using precision farming technologies, each exceeding 75%.

At the other end of the ranking, Cyprus recorded just 1%, while Greece and Romania reported between 10% and 15%. The results indicate that Cyprus remains at an early stage of digital adoption in agriculture, even as precision farming becomes more widespread across parts of the European Union.