Unemployment rises in August

UNEMPLOYMENT levels in Cyprus reached 5.5 per cent in August, up from July’s 5.3 per cent. In the same period, unemployment in the EU was at an average of 8.7 per cent.

European statistics published by Eurostat show that the lowest levels of unemployment are in Ireland at 4.3 per cent, followed by the UK at 4.6 per cent, Holland at 4.7 per cent, Denmark at 4.8 per cent, Austria at 5.2 per cent and Cyprus at 5.5 per cent. The highest levels were seen in Poland at 17.5 per cent and Slovakia at 15.2 per cent.

A total of 4.4 per cent of men of all age groups are currently unemployed in Cyprus, the third best percentage in the EU following Luxemburg (3.9 per cent) and Denmark (4.1 per cent). Among women, 6.8 per cent are unemployed.

Unemployment among under 25s remained the same at 11 per cent, the sixth lowest in the EU.

The highest levels of unemployment among youths were seen in Poland at 35 per cent and Slovakia at 24.8 per cent, while the EU average came in at 17.1 per cent.

In Greece, the latest available statistics are from March 2005 and show a total unemployment rate of 9.9 per cent, with youths under the age of 25 reaching 25 per cent.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.