Unemployment in February recorded an annual decrease of 3.8%.
According to CySTAT, the number of unemployed persons registered at the District Labour Offices on the last day of February 2026, reached 12,273 persons.
Based on the seasonally adjusted data, which reflect the trend of unemployment, the number of registered unemployed for February 2026 decreased to 9,773 persons, in comparison to 9,832 in the previous month.
In comparison with February 2025, a decrease of 488 persons or 3.8% was recorded.
CySTAT says that this decrease is mainly attributed to the sectors of accommodation and food service activities, construction, trade, manufacturing, as well as to the decrease recorded for newcomers in the labour market.
Meanwhile, Eurostat unemployment data find Cyprus in a better position compared to the EU and the Eurozone recent statistics released by the European statistics authority show.
According to the data, unemployment in January 2026 stood at 4.2% in Cyprus, compared to 5.8% in the EU and 6.1% in the Eurozone. However, youth unemployment remains high at 15%. Regarding gender differences, the unemployment rate in Cyprus was 4.0% for men and 4.4% for women, showing a slight disparity between the two genders.
In comparison with other member states, the Czech Republic has the lowest unemployment rate at 3.2%, followed by Poland at 3.1% and Malta at 3.4%. On the other hand, Spain remains the country with the highest unemployment rate at 9.8%, followed by Finland at 10.2% and Greece at 7.7%. Germany and the Netherlands also maintain low rates at 4.0%, while Italy recorded a decline to 5.1% from 6.6% in January 2025.
Cyprus, with 4.2%, is in a better position than the European average, as well as countries like France at 7.7%, Portugal at 5.6%, and Ireland at 4.7%. However, youth unemployment in Cyprus remains higher, reaching 15.0% in December 2025, a phenomenon also observed in other European countries, such as Spain at 23.5% and Greece at 16.0%.
(Source: CNA)
