ECB Wage Tracker Forecasts Slower Growth While Cyprus Data Highlights Persistent Inequality

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

November 7, 2025

The European Central Bank’s latest wage tracker data, updated through September, signals a notable slowdown in negotiated wage growth moving into 2025. The tracker, rooted in active collective bargaining agreements, recorded a rise of 4.7% in 2024 with smoothed one-off payments. Projections for 2025 indicate a deceleration to 3.2%, based on a slightly reduced employee coverage of 48.7%, compared to 50.6% in the previous year.

Analyzing The Variations

Diverse methodological approaches yield varied outcomes. A version that includes unsmoothed one-off payments suggests a 4.9% growth in 2024 dropping to 3.0% in 2025. Meanwhile, a tracker that excludes one-off payments shows more resilient growth, from 4.2% in 2024 rising to 3.9% in 2025. The ECB attributes these trends, in part, to the mechanical effects of substantial one-off payments in 2024 and the advancement of wage increases in certain sectors during that period.

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Forward-Looking Data For 2026

Recent forward-looking figures for the third quarter of 2026 present a mixed picture. The headline wage tracker, with smoothed one-off payments, recorded 2.2%, up from 1.8% in the early half of the year. Conversely, the unsmoothed figure slipped from 2.5% to 2.2%, while the tracker excluding one-off payments declined slightly to 2.4% from 2.6%. Notably, employee coverage fell to 19.4% in Q3 2026, a marked decrease from 31.0% in H1 2026 and 47.2% in Q4 2025, underscoring shifts in the dataset’s representativeness.

Cyprus Wages: Growth Amid Inequality

Provisional data from the Cyprus Statistical Service illustrates a continued upward trend in wages. In the second quarter of 2025, average gross monthly earnings reached €2,476—a 4.2% increase from the previous year—following a 2024 average of €2,483. Despite this overall growth, wage inequality remains a pressing issue. The median wage for 2024 was only €1,881, significantly lower than the average, highlighting persistent disparities.

Persistent Gender And Incomes Disparities

The gender pay gap is a continuing challenge. In Q2 2025, males earned an average of €2,656 while females earned €2,251. However, a higher year-on-year increase for women (4.7% compared to 3.8% for men) may signal a gradual narrowing of the gap. In terms of income distribution, 40% of employees earned between €1,500 and €2,999, with 36.1% earning less than €1,500. Only 5.1% of workers reached the €6,000 or more bracket.

Sectoral Insights And National Disparities

Further analysis by Cystat reveals that non-Cypriot nationals are overrepresented in both the lowest and highest wage brackets—48.7% earn less than €1,500 and 7.7% earn €6,000 or more—reflecting a bimodal distribution in job roles. Sectoral performance shows the Information and Communication industry leading salary growth with an 8.1% increase in 2024, while financial and insurance activities enjoyed the highest average earnings at €4,710.

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Cyprus And Greece Outline Joint Tourism Plans For Summer 2026

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

May 1, 2026

Strategic Partnership Enhances Tourism Prospects

The Cyprus Tourism Authority (EOT Cyprus) presented proposals for summer 2026 focused on strengthening tourism cooperation between Cyprus and Greece, with joint efforts aimed at attracting visitors from long-haul markets.

Greece: The Top Destination For Cypriot Travelers

At an event on April 28, Athena Spakouri, Director of EOT Cyprus, said Greece is expected to remain the main travel destination for Cypriot residents, with plans extending beyond established locations to include lesser-known regions. This approach reflects a broader effort to diversify travel options while maintaining strong demand between the two countries.

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Complementary Destinations, Unified Vision

Building on this, Spakouri noted that Cyprus and Greece offer complementary tourism experiences rather than competing directly. Joint programmes are therefore being positioned to attract visitors from markets such as the United States and China, while tourism activity continues to be assessed in the context of broader geopolitical developments.

Robust Air And Sea Connectivity

Supporting this cooperation, Konstantinos Kollias said around 600,000 Cypriots travelled to Greece in 2025. Frequent flights, short travel times, and ferry connections between Limassol and Piraeus continue to facilitate movement between the two countries and sustain travel flows.

Diverse Tourism Offerings for a New Era

Konstantinos Kollias highlighted that Greece’s tourism portfolio spans from traditional seaside holidays to sectors such as cultural, religious, gastronomic, agritourism, ecotourism, spa, conference, and medical tourism.

This range reflects the expansion of tourism offerings across different segments and travel preferences. In parallel, Joseph Iosif referred to Greece as a “second homeland” for Cypriot travellers, pointing to longstanding cultural and travel links between the two countries.

Innovative Programs And Strengthened Connections

Building on this approach, the EOT strategy includes initiatives focused on gastronomic routes, cultural trails, thematic and religious tourism, as well as curated city breaks in destinations such as Athens and Thessaloniki. These programmes were presented at the event alongside references to historical, cultural, and religious connections between Cyprus and Greece, including remarks from Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria.

Boosting Air Connectivity And Island Accessibility

At the same time, airlines including Aegean Airlines, Sky Express, and Cyprus Airways outlined plans to expand connections between Cyprus and Greece, with a focus on increasing access to island destinations. The event also brought together stakeholders from the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Hermes Airports, tour operators, and ACTAA, reflecting coordination across different parts of the tourism sector.

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