Cyprus Labour Costs Set At €21.7 In 2025 As EU Averages Reach €34.9

Overview Of Eurostat’s Findings

Eurostat data show that average hourly labour costs in Cyprus are projected to reach €21.7 in 2025. Non-wage costs, including social contributions, account for 19.4% of total labour expenses, reflecting the structure of employment costs in the country.

Regional And Sectoral Comparisons

Across the European Union, average hourly labour costs are expected to increase from €33.5 in 2024 to €34.9 in 2025, while in the euro area they are projected to rise from €36.8 to €38.2. Eurostat data indicate annual increases of 4.1% across the EU and 3.8% in the euro area, pointing to continued upward pressure on labour costs.

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Country-Level Divergence

Most euro area countries recorded increases, although Malta reported a decline of 0.5%. Higher growth rates were observed in Bulgaria (13.1%), Croatia (11.6%), Slovenia (9.3%), and Lithuania (9.2%), while more moderate increases were recorded in France (2.0%) and Italy (3.2%). Cyprus, Spain, and Luxembourg each reported a 3.5% increase.

Disparities And Implications Across The EU

Significant differences remain across member states in absolute labour cost levels. Lower hourly costs were recorded in Bulgaria (€12.0), Romania (€13.6), and Hungary (€15.2), while higher levels were observed in Luxembourg (€56.8), Denmark (€51.7), and Netherlands (€47.9).

Non-wage costs accounted for 24.8% of total labour costs in the EU and 25.6% in the euro area. Lower shares were recorded in Romania (4.8%), Lithuania (5.5%), and Malta (5.8%), whereas higher shares were observed in France (32.3%), Sweden (31.7%), and Slovakia (28.6%).

Broader Employment Cost Trends Outside The Eurozone

Labour costs also increased in EU countries outside the euro area when measured in national currencies. Higher growth rates were recorded in Romania (10.6%), Hungary (8.9%), and Poland (8.8%), while Denmark reported a more moderate increase of 3.0%.

Conclusion

Eurostat data point to continued growth in labour costs across Cyprus and the European Union, alongside notable differences between countries. These trends may influence wage developments, labour market conditions, and business costs across the region.

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Copyright Law Struggles To Keep Up With AI Training

by News Editor

August 24, 2026

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

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Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.

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