The national unemployment rate was 8.4% in the December 2024–February 2025 quarter (DJF 2025), according to information from the National Employment Survey (ENE), which is produced by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The year-on-year decrease in the national unemployment rate (-0.1 pp) was due to the slower growth in the labour force (0.8%) than in employed persons (0.9%). Meanwhile, the decrease in the number of unemployed persons (-0.6%) can be exclusively attributed to the fall in the redundant (-1.1%).

Compared to the same period of the previous year, the participation rate showed no variation, remaining at 62.3%, and the employment rate increased 0.1 pp to stand at 57.1%. The increase in the population outside the labour force (1.1%) can exclusively be attributed to the rise in inactive persons who are potentially active (1.4%).

The unemployment rate for women increased 0.3 pp year on year to stand at 9.3% as a result of the faster growth in the labour force (0.6%) than in employed women (0.4%). The number of unemployed women rose 3.2% in the same period. For women, the participation rate fell 0.1 pp to stand at 52.7% and the employment rate fell 0.2 pp to stand at 47.8%. The number of women outside the labour force rose 1.2%.

The unemployment rate for men (7.7%) decreased 0.4 pp year on year as a result of the slower growth in the labour force (1.0%) than in employed men (1.4%). In the same period, the number of unemployed men fell 3.9%. For men, the participation rate showed no variation, remaining at 72.3%, while the employment rate rose 0.3 pp to stand at 66.7%. The number of men outside the labour force increased 0.9%.

Increase in employed persons

The estimated total number of employed persons increased 0.9% year on year as a result of the rises in both men (1.4%) and women (0.4%).

By economic sector, the expansion in the employed population was influenced by the rises in transport (7.9%), financial and insurance activities (17.2%), and public administration (4.9%). By occupational category, the expansion can exclusively be attributed to the rise in formal wage earners (3.2%).

Labour informality

The informal employment rate fell 1.3 pp year on year to stand at 26.1%. The decrease in informally employed persons (-4.0%) was influenced by the falls in women (-6.4%) and men (-1.8%).

By economic sector, the decrease in the informally employed can mainly be attributed to the falls in commerce (-7.5%) and manufacturing (-16.0%). By occupational category, the decrease was influenced by the falls in own-account workers (-2.7%) and unpaid family workers (-2.7%).

Seasonality

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (which eliminates the effects of exogenous seasonal factors of a non-economic nature that influence its current behavior) stood at 8.5%, an increase of 0.1 pp compared to the previous moving quarter.

Working hours and indicators of labour underutilization

The volume of work, as measured by the quantity of hours per week actually worked by employed persons, decreased 0.4% year on year while the average number of hours worked fell 1.3% to stand at 35.8 hours. Men worked an average of 38.5 hours, and women worked an average of 32.2 hours.

The combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force decreased 0.2 pp to stand at 16.8%. This indicator stood at 14.2% for men and 20.1% for women. The gender gap was 5.9 pp.

Metropolitan Region 

In the Metropolitan Region, the unemployment rate for the December 2024–February 2025 quarter decreased 0.1 pp year on year to stand at 9.2%. In the same period, the estimated increase in the total number of employed persons (0.7%) was mainly due to the rises in the economic sectors of financial and insurance activities (23.5%), public administration (13.7%), and communications (16.2%).

See:
ENE National Bulletin no. 317: December 2024–February 2025 (English translation)

ENE Metropolitan Region Bulletin no. 105: December 2024–February 2025 (in Spanish)

ENE Statistical Note no. 35 December 2024–February 2025 (in Spanish)

National Employment Survey (ENE) Presentation of Results - 28 March 2025 (in Spanish)