The national unemployment rate was 8.7% in the May–July 2025 quarter (MJJ 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 was due to the equal growth in the labour force (0.8%) and employed persons (0.8%). The increase in unemployed persons (1.0%) was influenced by the rises in first-time job seekers (6.5%) and the redundant (0.5%).

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the participation rate decreased 0.1 pp to stand at 61.8% and the employment rate decreased 0.1 pp to stand at 56.4%. The increase in the population outside the labour force (1.1%) was influenced by the rises in inactive persons who are potentially active (5.2%) and the routinely inactive (0.3%).

The unemployment rate for women increased 0.6 pp year on year to stand at 9.7%. The increase was due to the faster growth in the labour force (1.3%) than in employed women (0.6%). Meanwhile, the number of unemployed women increased 7.6%. For women, the participation rate increased 0.2 pp to stand at 52.8% and the employment rate decreased 0.1 pp to stand at 47.7%. The increase in women outside the labour force (0.5%) was influenced by the growth in inactive persons who are potentially active and in future starters.

The unemployment rate for men (7.9%) decreased 0.4 pp year on year as a result of the slower growth in the labour force (0.4%) than in employed men (0.9%). In the same period, the number of unemployed men fell 4.6%. The participation rate decreased 0.4 pp year on year to stand at 71.2%, and the employment rate showed no variation, remaining at 65.6%. The number of men outside the labour force (2.1%) was influenced by the routinely inactive and inactive persons who are potentially active.

Increase in employed persons

The estimated total number of employed persons increased 0.8% year on year as a result of the rises in both men (0.9%) and women (0.6%).

According to economic sector, the growth in employed persons was influenced by the rises in manufacturing (5.5%), communications (23.3%), and mining (11.6%). According to occupational category, the growth can be attributed to the rises in formal wage earners (1.1%) and informal wage earners (2.2%).

Labour informality

The informal employment rate fell 0.4 pp year on year to stand at 26.0%. The decrease in informally employed persons (-0.6%) can exclusively be attributed to the fall in women (-1.9%) since the number of men increased 0.4% in the period.

By economic sector, the decrease in the informally employed can mainly be attributed to the falls in commerce (-5.0%) and public administration (-13.8%). By occupational category, the decrease was influenced by the falls in own-account workers (-2.0%) and wage earners of the public sector (-13.3%).

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 8.6%, a decrease of 0.3 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, increased 1.2% year on year while the average number of hours worked rose 0.5% to stand at 37.0 hours. Men worked an average of 39.2 hours, and women worked an average of 34.1 hours.

The combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force increased 0.3 pp year on year to stand at 16.7%. This indicator stood at 14.2% for men and 19.7% for women, and the gender gap was 5.5 pp.

Metropolitan Region 

In the Metropolitan Region, the unemployment rate for the May–July 2025 quarter increased 0.4 pp year on year to stand at 9.2%. In the same period, the estimated total number of employed persons increased 0.2%. By economic sector, the increase was mainly influenced by the rises in communications (33.5%), manufacturing (8.3%), and health activities (5.8%).

See:

ENE National Bulletin no. 322: May–July 2025 (English translation)

ENE Metropolitan Region Bulletin 110: May–July 2025 (in Spanish)

ENE Statistical Note, no. 40: May–July 2025 (in Spanish)