The percentage of students in the education system (aged 15 – 24) in Cyprus that also joined the labour market, through working or seeking a job or an internship, was about half the EU average according to data released by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical service.
The pace of transition from school to the labour market varies across EU Member States, due to the influence of national systems of education and training, as well as other factors including national labour market characteristics and cultural determinants, Eurostat notes in a press release. In some countries, young people start working much earlier than in others, e.g. in the form of student jobs or paid traineeships.
In 2020, 18.4 % of people aged between 15-24 years in the EU were in education and at the same time employed, while 2.5% of the same age group were in education but unemployed, looking for a job while studying.
When compared with 2019, the number of people aged between 15-24 years who were in education and employed at the same time decreased by 3% (from 6.1 million in 2019 to 5.9 million in 2020). Meanwhile, the number of people aged between 15-24 years in education and unemployed at the same time increased by 16% (from 0.7 million in 2019 to 0.8 million in 2020).
According to estimates provided by Eurostat (which notes that data on Cyprus on employed and unemployed is of low reliability), the percentage of students in the country that were in the labour market in 2020 was about half that of the EU’s average, with about 90% remaining outside the labour force.
Among the EU Member States, the Netherlands had the highest share of pupils and students aged between 15-24 years that were employed while still in education in 2020 (57.8%), followed by Denmark (45.8%), Germany (38.7%) and Austria (35.2 %). In contrast, the lowest shares of employment among pupils and students aged 15-24 were found in Croatia and Hungary (both 3.3%), Italy (3.0%), Slovakia and Romania (both 2.5%).
The highest share of pupils and students aged 15-24 who were unemployed (meaning that they were looking for a job and ready to start to work while studying) was recorded in Sweden (12.1%), followed by Finland (9.5%), Denmark and the Netherlands (both 6.3%). On the other hand, in Slovenia, Italy, Romania, Czechia and Croatia, less than 1% of pupils and students in that age group were unemployed.
In 2020, in the EU, 9 in 10 people aged 15-19 years were still in education (89.5%). The older the age group, the smaller the proportion of young people in education: 49.5% of people aged 20-24 years, 14.4% of people aged 25-29 years and 4.8% of those aged 30-34 years were in education in 2020.
Source: Cyprus News Agency