Cyprus recorded one of the lowest unemployment rates in the European Union in October 2025, with seasonally adjusted joblessness holding at 4.2 per cent, according to new figures from Eurostat.

The rate has been edging down in recent months, supported by steady hiring in services and tourism-related sectors. Youth unemployment stood at 12.6 per cent in September, the latest month available, while October’s gender split showed men at 4.1 per cent and women at 4.3 per cent.

Across the bloc, the euro-area unemployment rate remained at 6.4 per cent, unchanged from September and slightly above the 6.3 per cent recorded a year earlier.

The EU rate also stayed at 6 per cent, compared with 5.8 per cent in October 2024.

In absolute terms, 13.351m people were unemployed in the EU, including 11.033m in the euro area.

Month-on-month, unemployment rose by 32,000 in the EU but fell by 13,000 in the euro area.

Spain, at 10.5 per cent, remained among the highest, while Greece, with 8.6 per cent, also stayed elevated despite a gradual improvement over the past year.

By contrast, Italy eased to 6 per cent, while Portugal, at 5.9 per cent, continued to perform better than several of its Southern European peers.

In Western Europe, France was unchanged at 7.7 per cent, and Belgium edged higher to 6.4 per cent, reflecting a slow rise in unemployment over recent months.

Austria, at 5.8 per cent, remained slightly above the EU average, while Luxembourg, at 6.6 per cent, stayed broadly stable.

Ireland, meanwhile, held at 5 per cent.

Elsewhere, Germany remained one of the stronger performers at 3.8 per cent, although still slightly higher than a year earlier. The Netherlands, at 4 per cent, also continued to show tight labour-market conditions.

Finland, with 9.8 per cent, remained among the highest in the region, whereas Denmark, at 6.4 per cent, tracked close to the EU average.

Sweden, meanwhile, rose to 9 per cent. In the wider Nordic–EFTA group, Norway edged up to 4.7 per cent, while Iceland remained at 4 per cent.

Central and Eastern Europe showed similar variation. Czechia, traditionally among the lowest, climbed to 3.2 per cent, matching Poland at the same level.

Hungary, at 4.5 per cent, stayed broadly stable, while Slovakia, at 5.6 per cent, and Slovenia, at 4.7 per cent, both recorded slight increases.

In the Baltics, Lithuania held at 6.5 per cent, Latvia at 7.1 per cent, and Estonia at 7.3 per cent.

Further south, Romania eased to 5.9 per cent, while Bulgaria, at 3.6 per cent, posted one of the lowest rates in the EU.

For younger workers, labour-market pressures remained more pronounced. The number of unemployed under-25s reached 2.960m in the EU and 2.352 million in the euro area.

The youth unemployment rate stayed at 15.2 per cent in the EU and 14.8 per cent in the euro area, unchanged from September.

Compared with the previous month, youth unemployment rose by 11,000 in the EU and by 10,000 in the euro area. Oon an annual basis, it increased by 74,000 and 39,000 respectively.

The female unemployment rate reached 6.3 per cent in the EU, up from 6.2 per cent in September, while the male rate remained at 5.8 per cent.

Within the euro area, unemployment for women stayed at 6.6 per cent, whereas the rate for men dipped to 6.1 per cent from 6.2 per cent the month before.

Eurostat noted that the figures follow the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of unemployment, which counts persons without work who have actively sought a job in the past four weeks and are available to start within two.

To provide a fuller picture, the data are complemented by indicators such as underemployed part-time workers and persons either not immediately available or not actively searching.

These are part of the EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), with the next release, covering the third quarter of 2025, due on December 12.