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- Ελληνικά
Significant reduction in unemployment
- The unemployment rate has been reduced to its lowest level of the last 15 years
- Long-term unemployed fell to the lowest number in 14 years
- Reduction of unemployed by 4.055 people in the first year of the Government
Our state is social and our Government is people-centred. The reduction of unemployment and the gradual creation of full employment conditions is a central government policy for the development of the economy and the cohesion of society.
The methodical implementation of the Governance Programme through the implementation of an integrated employment policy is yielding positive results, which are reflected in the data of the Statistical Office and confirmed by the data of the Ministry of Labour, while at the same time they can be perceived in the everyday life of citizens, businesses and organisations.
[P AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS WORTH MENTIONING THAT A LOWER UNEMPLOYMENT RATE THAN 6% FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF EACH YEAR WAS LAST RECORDED IN 2009 (4.6%). ACCORDING TO THE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS DECREASED BY 4,055. SPECIFICALLY, IN THE 1ST QUARTER OF 2024 THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED WAS 29,394, WHILE THE CORRESPONDING FIGURE FOR 2023 WAS 33,394.
| Year | 1st Quarter Unemployment Rate | Percentage Change |
| 2024 | 6,0% | -11,8% |
| 2023 | 6.8% | 3.0% |
| 2022 | 6,6% | -23.3% |
| 2021 | 8.6% | 17,8% |
| 2020 | 7.3% | -17.0% |
| 2019 | 8,8% | -17.8% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | -20,7% |
| 2017 | 13.5% | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 14,1% | -20.3% |
| 2015 | 17.7% | 4,7% |
| 2014 | 16.9% | 6,3% |
| 2013 | 15.9% | 43.2% |
| 2012 | 11,1% | 50.0% |
| 2011 | 7.4% | 2,8% |
| 2010 | 7.2% | 56.5% |
| 2009 | 4,6% | --- |
The statistics of the Labour Force Survey are in full agreement with the data of the Public Employment Service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, regarding the downward trend in unemployment. Specifically, according to the data of the Public Employment Service, the average number of registered unemployed in the first quarter of 2024 was 13,760 people, which is 2,091 fewer (13.2% decrease) than the number of unemployed in the corresponding period of 2023 (15,851 people). As shown in the table below, the number of unemployed in 2024 is the lowest in the last 15 years.
| Year | Registered unemployed (M.Q1) | Percentage change |
| 2024 | 13.760 | -13.2% |
| 2023 | 15,851 | 6.6% |
| 2022 | 14.871 | -54.5% |
| 2021 | 32,685 | 25.4% |
| 2020 | 26.062 | -10.3% |
| 2019 | 29,070 | -13.5% |
| 2018 | 33.603 | -18.9% |
| 2017 | 41,418 | -7.8% |
| 2016 | 44.904 | -9.0% |
| 2015 | 49,371 | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 52.920 | 16.5% |
| 2013 | 45,442 | 21.3% |
| 2012 | 37.473 | 29.0% |
| 2011 | 29.040 | 21.1% |
| 2010 | 23,977 | 46.9% |
| 2009 | 16.325 | --- |
Regarding unemployed persons by nationality, according to data from the Public Employment Service, in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the corresponding quarter of 2023, unemployed Cypriots showed the largest decrease of 16% (1.665 persons), followed by European Citizens with 9% (346 persons) and Third Country Nationals with 5% (80 persons). Specifically, according to the statistics of the Labour Force Survey, there is a decrease in long-term unemployment to 26.2% (among the unemployed) for the 1st quarter of 2024, while the corresponding rate for the 1st quarter of 2023 was 32.2%. According to data from the Public Employment Service, the number of registered long-term unemployed is at its lowest in fourteen years. Specifically, for the first quarter of 2024, the number came down to 1,403 people, while the corresponding figure for 2023 was 1,470 people. The table shows the data for the period 2009-2024.
| Year | Registered Long-Term Unemployed (M.O. 1st quarter) | Percentage change |
| 2024 | 1403 | -4,6% |
| 2023 | 1470 | -22,3% |
| 2022 | 1892 | -85.6% |
| 2021 | 13.106 | 283.7% |
| 2020 | 3416 | -33.6% |
| 2019 | 5145 | -42,1% |
| 2018 | 8881 | -20.4% |
| 2017 | 11.159 | -8.5% |
| 2016 | 12,193 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 12.369 | 26.4% |
| 2014 | 9786 | 75.7% |
| 2013 | 5571 | 82,0% |
| 2012 | 3061 | 80,3% |
| 2011 | 1698 | 58.7% |
| 2010 | 1070 | -3,5% |
| 2009 | 1109 | --- |
The above figures confirm the downward trend of unemployment in Cyprus and the positive results of the efforts made to further activate the domestic human resources and ensure the quality of life of our citizens through their integration into the labour market.
We await within the next few weeks the release of the updated data of the European Statistical Office on unemployment in Europe, in order to weight specific aspects of the statistics, compared to the average of the European Union, the Eurozone, as well as in relation to the other Member States, so that they can be analysed and used appropriately.
(MS/AF)
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