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According to the results of the Labour Force Survey, the labour force in the first quarter of 2018 amounted to 432.566 persons or 62,0% of the population (males 66,5%, females 57,7%) in comparison to 423.799 persons (61,5%) in the corresponding quarter of 2017 (Table 1).

The number of employed persons was 386.098 and the employment rate 55,3% (males 59,6%, females 51,3%) in comparison to 366.461 persons (53,2%) in the corresponding quarter of 2017.

The number of unemployed persons amounted to 46.468 and the unemployment rate to 10,7% of the labour force (males 10,3%, females 11,2%) in comparison with 57.339 persons (13,5%) in the corresponding quarter of 2017.

Employment (Table 2)

For the age group 20-64, the employment rate was 71,5%. The rate for males was 76,1% and for females 67,2%. In the corresponding quarter of 2017 the rate was 68,6% (males 73,7%, females 63,9%). For the age group 55-64 the employment rate was 58,7% in comparison to 52,1% in the corresponding quarter of 2017.

According to the distribution of employment by sector, the biggest percentage of employed persons was in Services (81,2%), followed by Manufacturing (16,8%) and Agriculture (2,0%). For the first quarter of 2017, the corresponding percentages were: Services 79,5%, Manufacturing 17,7% and Agriculture 2,8%.

The share of part-time employment to total employment was 12,8% or 49.315 persons (males 9,5%, females 16,2%). The corresponding rate for the 1^st quarter of 2017 was 14,5% (males 11,4%, females 17,9%).

86,4% or 333.669 of the total employed persons were employees, of which 13,2% (43.927 persons) had a temporary job. In the corresponding quarter of 2017 employees accounted for 85,7% of total employment of which 13,4% had a temporary job.

Unemployment (Table 3)

For young persons aged 15-24 years old, the unemployment rate was 25,3% of the labour force of the same age group (males 30,2%, females 21,7%) in comparison to 26,7% (males 28,0%, females 25,6%) in the corresponding quarter of last year.

As far as the duration of unemployment is concerned, 56,6% of the total unemployed persons searched for a job for a period of less than 6 months, 13,6% for a period of 6-11 months, whereas a percentage of 29,8% were long-term unemployed. The corresponding rates for the first quarter of 2017 were 48,6%, 12,2% and 39,2%.

Note: Figures may not add up to totals due to rounding error.

METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Survey Identity

The Labour Force survey (LFS) is conducted in all European Union Member States in accordance with Council Regulation 577/98 of the European Union every quarter. The aim of the survey is the collection of data which are useful in the formulation of policy on labour matters (employment, unemployment) and for pursuing and evaluating of the programs that are applied both by the Government and by the European Union.

Coverage and collection of data

The LFS covers a sample of 3.800 households in all districts of Cyprus, which are allocated according to the number of households that reside in urban and rural areas. For comparability of the results, in all Member States, the survey covers the population of private households only. It does not cover persons residing in collective households (i.e. institutions, homes for the aged, hospitals, monasteries etc.), conscripts on compulsory military service, students who study abroad and Cypriots who work abroad.

The collection of data from the Statistical Service is done with personal interviews and the use of portable computers as well as with telephone interviews.

Definitions

Labour force / Economically active population: The total number of the employed and unemployed persons aged 15 years and over.

Employed: Persons aged 15 years and over who during the reference week worked for at least one hour, as well as persons who had a job but were temporarily absent from work.

Unemployed: Persons aged 15 years and over who comply to the following standards:

• Neither worked nor had a job from which they were temporarily absent during the reference week.
• They had actively sought for work, i.e. had taken specific steps during the previous 4 weeks to find work.
• They were available to start work within the 2 weeks following the reference week and/or,
• persons who neither worked nor had a job from which they were temporarily absent, but found a job which will start within a period of at most 3 months.
• They were available to start work within the 2 weeks following the reference week.

 Long-term unemployed: Persons aged 15 years and over who searched for work for a period of 12 months or more.

Inactive: Persons aged 15 years and over who are neither employed nor unemployed.

Labour Force participation rate: The number of persons in the Labour Force for any group expressed as a percentage of the total population in the same group.

Employment rate: The number of employed persons for any group expressed as a percentage of the total population in the same group.

Unemployment rate: The number of unemployed persons of any group expressed as a percentage of the labour force in the same group. 

Further information:

Eleni Christodoulidou: Tel.: +35722602142, E-mail: echristodoulidou@cystat.mof.gov.cy

Christophoros Michaelides: Τel.: +35722602154, E-mail: cmichaelides@cystat.mof.gov.cy

(ML)