Cyprus recorded a further decline in unemployment during the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest Labour Force Survey, with both overall and youth joblessness falling compared with a year earlier.
The number of unemployed persons dropped to 19,367, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.6% of the labour force, compared with 22,663 unemployed persons and a rate of 4.3% in the second quarter of 2025.
The unemployment rate stood at:
- 3.5% for men
- 3.7% for women
Youth unemployment also down
Among people aged 15-24, unemployment declined to 12.2% of the labour force in that age group, compared with 14.9% during the corresponding quarter of 2025.
The youth unemployment rate was:
- 12.0% for young men
- 12.4% for young women
A year earlier, the figures stood at:
- 15.8% for young men
- 13.9% for young women
Duration of unemployment
Of all unemployed persons:
- 62.4% had been seeking work for less than six months.
- 16.5% had been unemployed for six to 11 months.
- 21.1% were classified as long-term unemployed.
The corresponding figures in the second quarter of 2025 were 55.9%, 23.0% and 21.1% respectively.
Employment increases
The number of employed persons rose to 520,763, while the employment rate increased to 63.2%, up from 506,318 people and 62.6% a year earlier.
The employment rate stood at:
- 68.5% for men
- 58.3% for women
Among those aged 20-64, employment reached 82.8%, compared with 81.7% in the second quarter of 2025.
The rate was:
- 87.8% for men
- 78.1% for women
Employment among people aged 55-64 rose to 72.6%, from 71.5% a year earlier.
Services dominate the labour market
The services sector continued to account for the largest share of employment at 81.8%.
It was followed by:
- Industry: 16.2%
- Agriculture: 2.0%
In the second quarter of 2025, the respective shares were 81.2%, 16.6% and 2.2%.
Part-time and temporary work
Part-time employment represented 8.7% of total employment, equivalent to 45,178 people.
The rate was:
- 7.6% for men
- 9.9% for women
A year earlier, part-time employment accounted for 9.4% of total employment.
Employees made up 89.8% of all employed persons, or 467,712 people.
Of those employees:
- 15.7% (73,306 people) were in temporary employment.
The corresponding figure in the second quarter of 2025 was 14.3%.
Labour force grows
The labour force increased to 540,130 people, representing 65.6% of the population, compared with 528,981 people (65.4%) in the corresponding quarter of 2025.
Participation rates were:
- 70.9% for men
- 60.5% for women
