Cyprus recorded the third-highest percentage of overqualified workers among EU member states in 2024, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The data highlights that women are more likely to be employed in positions below their education level.

Eurostat defines overqualification as the situation where individuals with tertiary education are employed in jobs that do not require such a high level of education.

At the EU level, the average overqualification rate in 2024 was 21.3%. Among member states, the highest rates were observed in Spain (35.0%), Greece (33.0%), and Cyprus (28.2%). The lowest rates were recorded in Luxembourg (4.7%), Croatia (12.6%), and Czechia (12.8%).

The rate of overqualification in the EU was higher among women (22.0%) compared to men (20.5%). In Cyprus, the gender gap was even more pronounced, with 31.2% of women being overqualified versus 24.6% of men.

In 21 of the 27 EU countries, women had higher overqualification rates than men. The largest gender gaps were found in Italy (7.7 percentage points), Slovakia (6.4 p.p.), and Malta (5.3 p.p.).

In contrast, in six EU countries, men had higher overqualification rates, with the largest differences seen in Lithuania (5.2 p.p.), Latvia (2.6 p.p.), and Estonia (2.5 p.p.).

In terms of overall employment in the EU, the rate reached 75.8% in 2024, with 197.6 million individuals aged 20 to 64 employed — the highest rate recorded since the time series began in 2009. This represents an increase of 0.5 percentage points compared to 2023 and 1.2 percentage points compared to 2022.

The highest national employment rates were recorded in the Netherlands (83.5%), Malta (83.0%), and Czechia (82.3%). The lowest rates were observed in Italy (67.1%), Greece (69.3%), and Romania (69.5%).

In Cyprus, the employment rate stood at 79.8% in 2024, according to the same Eurostat data.