Women Continue Their Ascent In Science And Technology Sectors

Women accounted for more than half of the science and technology workforce in both Cyprus and the European Union in 2025, according to Eurostat data, reflecting the growing role of female professionals across knowledge-intensive sectors. In Cyprus, women represented 51.8% of workers in science and technology occupations, while across the EU their share reached 52.5%.

Robust Growth Across The European Union

Across the EU, 81.6 million people aged 15 to 74 were employed in science and technology-related roles in 2025. That represented an increase of 1.8%, or approximately 1.5 million workers, compared with 2024. Since 2015, employment in the sector has grown by 25.3%. Women accounted for 42.8 million of those workers, representing 52.5% of the total science and technology workforce. Female participation increased by 2.3 percentage points compared with 2024 and was nearly 28% higher than a decade earlier.

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Diversification And Elevated Representation

Science and technology employment extends beyond traditional STEM occupations and includes a broad range of professional and technical roles across physical sciences, life sciences, social sciences and humanities. Although women now represent a majority of the overall workforce in these sectors, they remain underrepresented among scientists and engineers. In 2025, women accounted for 40.8% of professionals in those occupations. Even so, female participation in scientific and engineering roles has increased significantly. The number of women working as scientists and engineers rose from 5.3 million in 2015 to 8.2 million in 2025, representing a growth of 54.4%.

Regional Discrepancies Across Europe

There are pronounced regional variances within the EU. The highest rates of female participation in science and technology were reported in Latvia (62.4%), Hungary’s Great Plain and North region (61.1%), and Estonia (60.5%). Conversely, regions such as Corsica in France (42.7%), Malta (46.0%), and Italy’s Centro region (47.2%) recorded considerably lower figures.

The Pivotal Role Of Scientists And Engineers

Scientists and engineers accounted for approximately 24.8% of the overall science and technology workforce across the EU. Germany employed the largest number of professionals in these occupations, with 4.2 million scientists and engineers. Despite steady progress in recent years, the gender gap in scientific and engineering roles remains wider than in the broader science and technology workforce, highlighting the continued challenge of achieving more balanced representation in technical professions.

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Keve Welcomes New Cyprus Business Development Organisation

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 17, 2026

The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) has welcomed Parliament’s unanimous approval of legislation establishing the Cyprus Business Development Organisation, describing it as a major step toward improving access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises, startups and self-employed professionals.

Expanding Access To Finance

The legislation creates a new public body aimed at addressing financing gaps by supporting businesses that struggle to secure funding through traditional channels.

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According to Keve, the initiative could strengthen entrepreneurship, boost competitiveness and support Cyprus’ green and digital transition. The chamber has long argued that SMEs rely too heavily on bank financing, limiting investment, expansion and innovation.

Keve Calls For Swift Implementation

Keve said it helped shape the legislation through the consultation process and called for the organisation to become operational as quickly as possible. It also pledged to continue working with the Finance Ministry and the organisation’s management to support implementation.

How The Organisation Will Operate

Approved by Parliament on Tuesday, the legislation establishes Cyprus’ national business development body under the supervision of the Finance Minister, while the Central Bank of Cyprus will oversee anti-money laundering compliance.

The organisation will design financing programmes, provide loans and conduct studies to identify weaknesses in the financing market.

Cyprus will provide €60 million in initial capital. Over time, the body will also be able to raise funding from European and international institutions and benefit from state guarantees linked to approved strategic priorities.

Recovery Plan Milestone

Creation of the organisation is one of the final milestones under Cyprus’ Recovery and Resilience Plan and is required for the country to receive the plan’s ninth and final payment. Appointment of the board of directors remains the last outstanding step.

Before approving the bill, the Finance Ministry revised the draft following consultations with MPs and stakeholders. The changes removed provisions allowing the organisation to establish companies and narrowed the list of eligible beneficiaries by excluding small mid-cap companies.

Lawmakers also strengthened governance rules by introducing stricter board suitability requirements, conflict-of-interest safeguards, enhanced reporting obligations and borrowing limits. A seven-member board appointed by the Cabinet will oversee the organisation, while a transitional board will serve for two years until it becomes fully operational.

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