Non-EU citizens in the European Union were more likely to work part-time in 2024 than EU nationals, underlining persistent disparities in employment patterns across citizenship groups, Eurostat data showed on Wednesday.

Non-EU citizens accounted for 22.2 per cent of part-time workers aged 20–64, while EU citizens living in another member state made up 20.8 per cent.

Nationals residing in their own country recorded a lower rate of 16.6 per cent.

Over the past decade, EU nationals have consistently posted the lowest part-time employment rates, while all three categories have seen their shares decline since 2014.

The steepest drop was among non-EU citizens, whose rate has gradually converged with that of mobile EU citizens, narrowing the gap between the two groups.

Women remained far more likely than men to work part-time across all categories.

Among EU citizens residing in another member state, 35.8 per cent of women held part-time jobs in 2024, compared with just 7.9 per cent of men.

For women from non-EU countries, the figure was slightly higher at 36.8 per cent, while only 11.8 per cent of men in the same group worked part-time.

Among nationals, 27.0 per cent of women and 7.4 per cent of men were employed part-time.

In Cyprus, non-EU workers play an increasingly significant role in the labour market.

Employment participation for non-EU nationals stood at 73.3 per cent among those aged 20–64 in December 2024, according to figures from Trading Economics.

Non-EU residents now make up around 24 per cent of Cyprus’ population, compared to 11 per cent for intra-EU nationals, according to both the European Commission and the Robert Schuman Foundation.

Combined, foreign-born and foreign citizens account for nearly one-quarter of the Republic’s demographic, a composition that is likely mirrored in part-time employment figures skewed towards migrant workers.

While Cyprus’ overall part-time employment rate remains low by EU standards, standing at just 7.6 per cent in 2024, migrants, particularly non-EU citizens, are more likely to hold part-time and temporary roles.