Updated September 2026
Updated September 2026. Cyprus recorded 13,905 job vacancies in Q1 2026, with an official job vacancy rate of 2.8%, according to CyStat’s Q1 vacancy release. The national Labour Force Survey then put unemployment at 3.6% in Q2, down from 4.3% a year earlier. A different monthly measure moved the other way: 12,385 people were registered as unemployed at District Labour Offices at the end of August, or 10,671 after seasonal adjustment. Together, the figures show a tight but uneven labour market rather than a simple shortage of candidates in every sector.
Key Takeaways
- Cyprus recorded 13,905 job vacancies and a 2.8% job vacancy rate in Q1 2026 (CyStat).
- The national Labour Force Survey measured 19,367 unemployed people, or 3.6% of the labour force, in Q2 2026.
- Registered unemployment is a separate measure: 12,385 people had active registrations at the end of August 2026; the seasonally adjusted count was 10,671.
- The highest Q1 vacancy rates were in arts, sports and recreation (5.1%), construction (4.7%), and accommodation and food services (4.0%).
- Q1 2026 sector data use the new NACE Rev. 2.1 classification and are not directly comparable with earlier periods published under NACE Rev. 2.
What 13,905 vacancies actually means for the market
A vacancy count in isolation is easy to misread. What matters is the vacancy rate — vacancies as a share of occupied posts plus vacancies. CyStat measured Cyprus’s national rate at 2.8% in Q1 2026. The same release cautions that the move to NACE Rev. 2.1 means the Q1 2026 sector data are not directly comparable with earlier periods under the previous classification. Our September analysis explains why registered jobseekers can rise while survey unemployment falls, and why the two statistics should not be treated as contradictory.
The Q1 total confirms that employers were carrying a large number of openings, but it does not prove that every occupation or district was equally short of candidates. The official vacancy release is national, so the headline figures should not be read as Nicosia-specific. It does not allocate the 13,905 vacancies by district or identify the cause of each sector’s vacancy rate.
For employers, the data points to real recruitment pressure in selected sectors. For candidates, it supports checking sector-specific demand and pay rather than assuming equal leverage across the whole economy.
Which sectors are driving the vacancy surge
Not all 13,905 vacancies are equal. The composition matters — and the 2026 data reveals some clear patterns about where demand is most acute and where pay is moving fastest as a result.
| Sector | Q1 vacancies | Vacancy rate | What the official data shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale & Retail Trade | 2,649 | 3.5% | Largest vacancy count |
| Accommodation & Food Service | 2,189 | 4.0% | Second-largest count; third-highest rate |
| Construction | 1,997 | 4.7% | Third-largest count; second-highest rate |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical | 1,086 | 2.4% | Fourth-largest vacancy count |
| Arts, Sports & Recreation | 547 | 5.1% | Highest vacancy rate |
| ICT / Technology | 530 | 2.4% | Below the national 2.8% rate |
| Human Health & Social Work | 416 | 1.6% | Below the national 2.8% rate |
By number of vacancies, wholesale and retail trade recorded 2,649 openings, accommodation and food services 2,189, and construction 1,997. By vacancy rate, arts, sports and recreation led at 5.1%, followed by construction at 4.7% and accommodation and food services at 4.0%. These are national figures. They show that both the number of openings and the size of each sector matter when assessing pressure.
What the figures mean for pay discussions
Low survey unemployment and a large vacancy count can strengthen pay discussions in some occupations, but the vacancy release does not report salaries or prove that pay is rising because of vacancies. The effect varies by occupation, seniority and location.
The vacancy release does not establish that the sectors with the fastest wage growth are the sectors with the highest vacancy rates. In Q1, ICT had 530 vacancies at a 2.4% rate and human health and social work had 416 at a 1.6% rate, both below the national 2.8% rate. Candidates in those fields should use occupation-specific salary and vacancy evidence rather than infer negotiating power from the national total.
For professionals, the practical conclusion is to compare pay against current evidence for the same occupation, seniority and location. Browse current live openings and benchmark advertised offers at jobs.com.cy, while remembering that advertised vacancies are not a complete salary survey.
What candidates should do with this data
A tight but uneven labour market creates opportunities, but the national figures are context rather than a guarantee for any individual application. Three concrete actions follow from the 2026 data.
Use the vacancy data as context, not a blanket claim. The 13,905-vacancy total is real, but leverage depends on the occupation and sector. A candidate who can articulate market rates with sector-specific data (rather than a vague “I know I can get more elsewhere”) negotiates from a stronger position. The Cyprus salary guide 2026 provides the sector benchmarks needed to do this.
Move faster than usual on applications. A high vacancy count does not mean employers are less selective — in sectors like tech and finance, shortlists fill and offers are extended quickly because employers are competing against each other for the same pool of candidates. A strong application that sits in a queue for two weeks while the candidate considers options often finds the role filled before a response arrives.
Compare sectors using both counts and rates. Wholesale and retail had the largest number of openings, while arts, sports and recreation had the highest rate. A large sector can generate many vacancies without having the highest rate, so candidates considering adjacent work should check both measures and then review current occupation-specific advertisements.
Frequently asked questions
How many job vacancies are there in Cyprus in 2026?
According to CyStat, Cyprus had 13,905 job vacancies in Q1 2026. The national job vacancy rate was 2.8%. Because CyStat introduced the NACE Rev. 2.1 classification from Q1 2026, sector figures are not directly comparable with earlier periods classified under NACE Rev. 2.
What is the unemployment rate in Cyprus in 2026?
CyStat’s national Labour Force Survey measured unemployment at 3.6% in Q2 2026, representing 19,367 people, down from 4.3% in Q2 2025. This survey estimate is different from registered unemployment: 12,385 people had active registrations at Labour Offices at the end of August 2026, or 10,671 on a seasonally adjusted basis.
Which sectors have the most job vacancies in Cyprus?
In Q1 2026, the largest vacancy counts were in wholesale and retail trade (2,649), accommodation and food services (2,189), and construction (1,997). The highest vacancy rates were in arts, sports and recreation (5.1%), construction (4.7%), and accommodation and food services (4.0%). These are national, not Nicosia-only, figures.
Are wages rising in Cyprus in 2026?
The Q1 vacancy release does not answer that question because it reports vacancy counts and rates, not earnings. Candidates should consult a current earnings release or occupation-specific salary evidence before making a pay claim; a high national vacancy total alone does not establish wage growth in a particular sector.
How does Cyprus compare to the EU for job vacancies?
CyStat measured Cyprus’s national job vacancy rate at 2.8% in Q1 2026. Cross-country comparisons should use the same reference quarter and methodology; the Cyprus release itself reports the national figure and does not establish a current EU ranking.
Is now a good time to look for a job in Cyprus?
The national data is encouraging for many jobseekers, but conditions vary by sector and occupation. Cyprus had 13,905 vacancies in Q1 and 3.6% survey unemployment in Q2, while registered unemployment rose year on year in August. Candidates should use current occupation-specific openings and salary evidence rather than assume the headline figures guarantee leverage everywhere.
Browse live vacancies across all sectors at jobs.com.cy — Cyprus’s dedicated job board covering every sector from tech and finance to healthcare, construction, and hospitality.
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