Significant inequalities in employment based on gender, country of birth, and disability status persist across the European Union, including Cyprus, according to 2024 data published by Eurostat during EU Diversity Month in May. The data were released in the context of awareness-raising initiatives promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

In 2024, the gender employment gap across the EU stood at 10 percentage points (pp), with 80.8% of men employed compared to 70.8% of women. This represents a slight improvement, narrowing by 0.2 pp compared to 2023, and 1.1 pp compared to 2014.

However, disparities were even more pronounced among the foreign-born population, where the gender employment gap widened to 18.1 pp. Employment rates were 83.1% for foreign-born men and 65.0% for foreign-born women. Additionally, foreign-born women had a 15.7 pp lower employment rate compared to women born within the EU.

Another critical area of inequality was the employment gap between people with and without disabilities, which reached 24.0 pp at the EU level.

In Cyprus, the gender employment gap in 2024 matched the EU average at 10 pp, with 85.0% of men and 75.0% of women employed. However, unlike the EU average, the gap in Cyprus widened by 1 pp compared to 2023 and by 2.3 pp compared to 2014, indicating a regressive trend in gender parity.

Among Cyprus residents born abroad, the gender gap in employment reached 13.7 pp, with 88.4% of foreign-born men and 74.7% of foreign-born women employed. Furthermore, foreign-born women in Cyprus had a 9.5 pp lower employment rate than women born in Cyprus.

As for individuals with disabilities, the employment gap in Cyprus stood at 24.5 pp, slightly above the EU average.

The gender employment gap for the total population, as well as for individuals with and without disabilities, refers to the 20–64 age group. The employment gap between men and women born abroad, and between foreign-born women and native-born women, refers to the 25–54 age group.