Cyprus youth unemployment falls year-on-year

Cyprus’ unemployment rate remained at 4 per cent in September 2026, unchanged from August and below the 4.2 per cent recorded a year earlier, while youth unemployment stayed at 11.3 per cent, according to figures published by Eurostat on Friday.

The number of unemployed people in Cyprus stood at approximately 21,000 in September, down from around 22,000 in September 2025, as the labour market continued to perform better than the European Union average.

The figures also showed that youth unemployment in Cyprus declined over the past year, with the number of unemployed people aged under 25 falling from approximately 4,000 in September 2025 to 3,000 in June 2026, where it remained through September.

Across the EU, however, unemployment increased over the year, with the overall rate reaching 6.2 per cent in September, compared with 6 per cent in the same month of 2025.

The euro area unemployment rate stood at 6.5 per cent, unchanged from August but higher than the 6.3 per cent recorded a year earlier.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, estimated that 13.773 million people were unemployed across the EU in September, including 11.555 million in the euro area.

Compared with August, the number of unemployed people increased by 105,000 across the EU and by 122,000 in the euro area.

On an annual basis, unemployment rose by 471,000 across the EU and by 420,000 in the euro area.

Cyprus unemployment remains below EU average

Cyprus’ unemployment rate declined from 4.2 per cent in September 2025 to 3.8 per cent in June 2026, before edging up to 3.9 per cent in July and reaching 4 per cent in August, where it remained in September.

The number of unemployed people followed a similar pattern, falling from approximately 22,000 in September 2025 to 21,000 in June and July 2026.

The figure increased to around 22,000 in August before returning to approximately 21,000 in September.

The latest figures place Cyprus’ unemployment rate 2.2 percentage points below the EU average and 2.5 percentage points below the euro area rate.

While the EU and euro area have experienced an increase in unemployment over the past year, Cyprus’ rate has declined, indicating comparatively favourable labour market conditions.

Youth unemployment remains lower in Cyprus

The unemployment rate among people aged under 25 in Cyprus stood at 11.3 per cent in September 2026, unchanged from July and August and below the 12.9 per cent recorded in September 2025.

The rate had fallen to 11.8 per cent by June 2026 before declining further to 11.3 per cent in July.

The number of unemployed young people also decreased over the year, from approximately 4,000 in September 2025 to 3,000 in June 2026, remaining at that level through September.

The figures compare favourably with the wider European picture, where youth unemployment continued to rise.

Across the EU, the youth unemployment rate reached 15.5 per cent in September, up from 15.4 per cent in August.

In the euro area, the rate increased to 15.4 per cent from 15.1 per cent in the previous month.

Eurostat estimated that 3.022 million people aged under 25 were unemployed across the EU in September, including 2.469 million in the euro area.

Compared with August, youth unemployment increased by 44,000 across the EU and by 69,000 in the euro area.

Compared with September 2025, the number of unemployed young people rose by 45,000 in the EU and by 80,000 in the euro area.

Unemployment among women and men

The unemployment rate for men in Cyprus stood at 3.7 per cent in September 2026, unchanged from July and August, after declining from 4 per cent in September 2025 to 3.6 per cent in June 2026.

Among women, the rate reached 4.3 per cent in September, down from 4.4 per cent a year earlier.

Female unemployment had fallen to 4.1 per cent in June 2026 before increasing to 4.2 per cent in July and 4.4 per cent in August, then edging down in September.

The figures show that the unemployment rate for women remained higher than that for men in Cyprus, although the difference narrowed slightly in September.

Across the EU, the unemployment rate for women stood at 6.4 per cent in September, while the rate for men was 6 per cent, with both unchanged from the previous month.

In the euro area, female unemployment remained at 6.7 per cent, while the male rate increased to 6.4 per cent from 6.3 per cent in August.

European unemployment rises over the year

The wider European figures showed a gradual increase in unemployment compared with September 2025, despite rates remaining stable between August and September 2026.

In the euro area, the unemployment rate rose from 6.3 per cent in September 2025 to 6.4 per cent in June 2026, before reaching 6.5 per cent in July and remaining at that level through September.

The number of unemployed people in the euro area increased from 11.135 million in September 2025 to 11.555 million in September 2026.

Across the EU, the unemployment rate increased from 6 per cent in September 2025 to 6.2 per cent in June 2026, remaining at 6.2 per cent through September.

The total number of unemployed people across the bloc rose from 13.302 million to 13.773 million over the same period.

The latest figures therefore highlight a contrast between Cyprus, where overall unemployment and youth joblessness remained below their levels a year earlier, and the wider EU, where both the number of unemployed people and the overall rate increased.