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Cyprus Registered Unemployment Climbs 9.9% In June

Cyprus recorded another increase in registered unemployment in June, with the sharpest rises concentrated in public administration, education, accommodation and food services, according to figures released by the Statistical Service (Cystat).

The number of people registered as unemployed at district labour offices reached 10,056 at the end of June, up from 9,153 a year earlier. That represents an increase of 903 people, or 9.9%.

Seasonal Factors Mask A Gradual Rise

Compared with May, registered unemployment climbed from 7,936 to 10,056. However, the increase largely reflects seasonal patterns, particularly in education and public administration, where hiring and contract expirations typically follow the academic and administrative calendar.

Seasonally adjusted data point to a more gradual trend. Registered unemployment rose to 10,656 in June from 10,543 in May and has remained above 10,000 throughout the first half of the year, increasing steadily from 10,109 in January.

Public Administration And Education Lead The Increase

Public administration and defence recorded the largest number of registered unemployed, rising to 2,306 from 2,171 a year earlier and 706 in May.

Education also saw a marked increase, with unemployment reaching 1,004 compared with 895 in June 2025 and just 290 in May, reflecting the seasonal end of the academic year.

Accommodation and food services recorded 934 registered unemployed, up from 762 a year earlier but below May’s level of 1,177, while wholesale and retail trade stood at 1,362, slightly above the 1,297 recorded a year earlier.

Pressure Extends Across Service Industries

Several other sectors also reported annual increases. Professional, scientific and technical activities recorded 813 registered unemployed, broadly unchanged from May but above last year’s level of 743.

Information and communication rose to 479 from 412 a year earlier, while human health and social work increased to 329 from 256. Manufacturing also remained above last year’s level, with 471 registered unemployed compared with 402 in June 2025.

Financial and insurance activities, transportation and storage, real estate, arts and entertainment, other service activities and extra-territorial organisations also recorded annual increases.

Construction was one of the few larger sectors to buck the trend, with registered unemployment falling to 366 from 401 a year earlier, while agriculture, forestry and fishing, water supply and waste management, and electricity and gas also recorded lower unemployment than in June 2025.

Cystat said the figures cover people aged 15 and over who are registered with district and local labour offices, are available for work and are actively seeking employment.

Irregular Meal Timing May Raise Heart Risk In Men, New Study Suggests

Eating breakfast at lunchtime or dinner during normal sleeping hours may seem like a minor weekend indulgence. New research suggests, however, that this type of irregular meal timing, described by scientists as “eating jet lag,” may be linked to higher cardiovascular risk in men.

A French study published in Communications Medicine found that each additional hour of eating jet lag was associated with a 14% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21% higher risk of coronary heart disease among men. No similar association was observed in women.

Why Meal Timing Matters

Weekend schedules often differ from weekday routines, with work and school timetables shifting when people eat. Over time, researchers suggest, these changes may interfere with the body’s biological rhythms.

“This study suggests the importance of regular meal-timing patterns, beyond sleep and diet quality, in cardiovascular disease prevention,” the authors wrote.

Researchers followed more than 100,000 participants for 14 years, analyzing the timing of their first and last meals on working days and weekends between 2009 and 2023.

Risk Pattern Appeared In Men

Participants were grouped according to how their meal times changed between weekdays and weekends. One group ate earlier on weekends, another maintained similar schedules, and a third ate later.

Both groups with irregular meal timing showed higher cardiovascular risk than those with stable schedules, regardless of overall diet quality. The association was observed only among men.

Researchers proposed several possible explanations. Men generally have a higher absolute risk of cardiovascular disease, while women tend to have stronger morning-oriented routines that may influence how their bodies respond to changes in meal timing.

Circadian Rhythms May Explain The Link

One possible explanation is that irregular eating disrupts the body’s circadian system, which regulates many physiological functions over a 24-hour cycle.

Light is the main signal that sets circadian rhythms, but food timing also helps synchronize peripheral clocks in organs including the liver and heart. Eating in alignment with these rhythms is generally associated with better metabolic regulation, while irregular timing may disrupt that balance.

What It Means For Prevention

The findings do not prove that irregular meal timing causes heart disease. However, they add to growing evidence that when people eat may matter nearly as much as what they eat for long-term cardiovascular health.

If confirmed in larger studies, regular meal timing could become a useful target for public health interventions aimed at reducing chronic disease risk. For individuals, employers and schools, greater consistency in daily routines may be more than a lifestyle preference and could form part of a broader strategy to protect heart health.

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