The national unemployment rate was 8.7% for the January–March 2025 quarter (JFM 2025), according to information from the National Employment Survey (ENE), which is produced by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The national unemployment rate showed no year-on-year variation, which can be explained by the equal growth in both the labour force and employed persons (0.9%). The increase in unemployed persons (1.3%) was influenced by the rises in the redundant (1.2%) and first-time job seekers (1.4%).

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the participation rate and employment rate showed no variation, remaining at 62.4% and 57.0%, respectively. The increase in the population outside the labour force (0.9%) can exclusively be attributed to the rise in the routinely inactive (1.4%).

The unemployment rate for women (9.5%) showed no year-on-year variation, a result that was due to the nearly equal growth in the labour force (1.2%) and employed women (1.3%). In the same period, the number of unemployed women increased 0.5% while the participation rate rose 0.1 pp to stand at 52.9% and the employment rate rose 0.1 pp to stand at 47.9%. The number of women outside the labour force rose 0.6%.

The unemployment rate for men (8.1%) increased 0.1 pp year on year as a result of the faster growth in the labour force (0.7%) than in employed men (0.5%). In the same period, the number of unemployed men increased 2.0% while the participation rate decreased 0.1 pp to stand at 72.3% and the employment rate decreased 0.2 pp to stand at 66.4%. The number of men outside the labour force increased 1.6%.

Increase in employed persons

The twelve-month variation of 0.9% in the total number of employed persons was influenced by the rises in women (1.3%) and men (0.5%).

By economic sector, the growth in the employed population was influenced by the rises in financial and insurance activities (19.5%), accommodation and food service (7.5%), and professional activities (8.4%). By occupational category, the growth was influenced by the rises in formal wage earners (3.1%) and informal wage earners (0.6%).

Labour informality

The informal employment rate fell 2.3 pp year on year to stand at 25.8%. The decrease in informally employed persons (-7.4%) was due to the falls in men (-6.9%) and women (-8.1%).

By economic sector, the decrease in the informally employed can mainly be attributed to the falls in commerce (-13.3%) and manufacturing (-15.9%). By occupational category, the decrease was influenced by the falls in own-account workers (-5.1%) and wage earners of the private sector (-5.6%).

Seasonality

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (which eliminates the effects of exogenous seasonal factors of a non-economic nature that influence its current behavior) remained at 8.5%, showing no variation 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 0.5% year on year, and the average number of hours worked fell 1.3% to stand at 35.9 hours. Men worked an average of 38.5 hours, and women worked an average of 32.4 hours.

The combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force decreased 0.1 pp to stand at 16.9%. This indicator stood at 14.2% for men and 20.2% for women. The gender gap was 6.0 pp.

Metropolitan Region  

In the Metropolitan Region, the unemployment rate for the January–March 2025 quarter decreased 0.2 pp year on year to stand at 9.4%. By economic sector, the main influences on the estimated increase in the total number of employed persons (1.1%) were the rises in financial and insurance activities (26.7%) and manufacturing (8.7%).

See:

ENE National Bulletin no. 318: January–March 2025 (English translation)

ENE Metropolitan Region Bulletin 106: January–March 2025 (in Spanish)

ENE Statistical Note 36: January–March 2025 (in Spanish)

National Employment Survey (ENE) Presentation of Results - 29 April 2025 (in Spanish)