FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – Cyprus’ labor force grew in the first quarter of 2025, while the unemployment rate fell, according to the latest Labor Force Survey.
The country’s workforce reached 519,433 people, accounting for 64.4 percent of the population—69.8 percent of men and 59.3 percent of women. That marks an increase from 505,963 people, or 64.6 percent, in the same quarter of 2024.
Employment rose to 493,272, with an employment rate of 61.2 percent—66.6 percent for men and 55.9 percent for women—up from 476,860 people, or 60.8 percent, a year earlier.
Unemployment declined to 26,161 people, lowering the jobless rate to 5.0 percent—4.5 percent for men and 5.7 percent for women—down from 5.8 percent in the first quarter of 2024.
Among 20- to 64-year-olds, employment hit 80.0 percent, with 85.5 percent of men and 74.6 percent of women participating in the labor force, up from 78.5 percent the previous year. For workers aged 55 to 64, the employment rate inched up to 69.9 percent from 69.1 percent in early 2024.