Cyprus unemployment holds at 4 per cent, well below EU average

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…