Cyprus was among the European Union member states that recorded the strongest increase in employment during the first quarter of 2026, according to data published by Eurostat on Friday.
More specifically, Cyprus recorded a 0.4 percentage point increase in the employment rate of people aged 20 to 64 compared with the fourth quarter of 2025. This performance placed the country alongside Lithuania, Slovakia and Sweden in second place among EU member states with the highest increases. Italy recorded the largest rise, at 0.5 percentage points.
According to Eurostat, the employment rate in the European Union stood at 76.3% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 76.2% in the previous quarter.
The statistical office reported that a total of 11 EU member states recorded increases in their employment rates, while the rate remained unchanged in six countries. By contrast, employment declined in ten member states, with the largest decreases recorded in Latvia (-0.8 percentage points), Ireland (-0.7 percentage points), and Slovenia and Finland (both -0.3 percentage points).