Cyprus has observed a rise in job vacancies in the fourth quarter of 2025, signalling stronger labour demand compared to the previous year. According to the statistical service Cystat, the total number of job vacancies reached 13,538, reflecting an increase of 541 from 12,997 in the same period of 2024.
However, this figure marks a decrease from the third quarter of 2025, where vacancies stood at 14,573, indicating a drop of 1,035. The job vacancy rate also saw a slight decline, settling at 2.8%, down from 3% in the previous quarter. This rate remained consistent with the same quarter in 2024.
Job vacancies: Sector Highlights Driving Employment
The wholesale and retail trade sector led the charge in job openings, accounting for 3,076 vacancies in the fourth quarter. This figure, while lower than the 3,358 recorded in the previous quarter, shows significant growth from the 2,479 vacancies in the same quarter of the previous year.
Following closely, the accommodation and food service sector reported 1,825 vacancies, down from 2,519 in the third quarter and 2,431 a year earlier. The professional, scientific, and technical activities sector saw a positive trend, with vacancies increasing to 1,371 from 1,080 in the previous quarter and 1,315 a year ago.
Construction and Manufacturing Insights
In the construction sector, job vacancies reached 1,117, a decrease from 1,383 in the third quarter but an improvement from 920 a year earlier. Manufacturing, however, faced a decline, with vacancies falling to 946 from 1,146 in the previous quarter and 1,026 in the same quarter of 2024.
Administrative and support service activities exhibited a notable rise, with vacancies climbing to 870, up from 779 in the previous quarter and dramatically higher than 517 a year earlier. The information and communication sector remained stable, recording 818 vacancies compared to 816 in the third quarter and 750 in the same period of 2024.
Vacancy Rates by Sector
In terms of vacancy rates, administrative and support service activities led with a rate of 3.9%, followed closely by wholesale and retail trade at 3.8% and mining and quarrying at 3.6%. Other sectors such as arts, entertainment, and recreation recorded a rate of 3.3%, while accommodation and food service activities stood at 3.2%. Professional, scientific, and technical activities followed with a rate of 3.1%.
Education Sector’s Growth
Education emerged as a significant area of growth with job openings rising to 625, a substantial increase from just 196 vacancies a year earlier. Administrative and support services also saw a robust increase, climbing to 870 from 517 over the same period, alongside the wholesale and retail trade sector.
In contrast, some sectors faced challenges. The accommodation and food service sector saw a decrease in vacancies to 1,825 from 2,431, while human health and social work activities dropped to 609 from 880. Financial and insurance activities also saw a decline, falling to 387 from 635.
Public Administration and Defence Rise
Among the more surprising developments was the increase in vacancies for public administration and defence, which rose to 683 from 368 in the previous quarter. Professional, scientific, and technical activities also saw an uptick, reaching 1,371 from 1,080, while real estate activities increased to 134 from 77.
Despite the overall positive trend in job vacancies, certain sectors, such as accommodation and food services and construction, experienced declines compared to the previous quarter. The transportation and storage sector also saw a dip, with vacancies dropping to 408 from 643.
Smaller Sectors Report Mixed Results
In smaller sectors, mining and quarrying reported 22 vacancies, up from 3 a year earlier but down from 37 in the third quarter. The electricity supply sector recorded 11 vacancies, showing growth compared to just 2 a year ago, but a significant drop from 59 in the previous quarter.
