The national unemployment rate was 8.9% in the January–March 2026 quarter (JFM 2026), according to information from the National Employment Survey (ENE), which is produced by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The 0.2 pp increase in the unemployment rate was a result of the faster growth in the labour force (0.7%) than in employed persons (0.5%). Meanwhile, the increase in the number of unemployed persons (3.3%) can be attributed to the rise in the unemployed with prior work experience (2.0%) and first-time job seekers (14.5%).

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the participation rate decreased 0.1 pp to stand at 62.3% and the employment rate decreased 0.3 pp to stand at 56.7%. The increase in the population outside the labour force (1.2%) was influenced by the rises in inactive persons who are potentially active (4.9%) and the routinely inactive (0.4%).

For women, the unemployment rate increased 0.5 pp year on year to stand at 10.0%. The increase was due to the faster growth in the labour force (1.8%) than in employed women (1.2%). In the same period, the increase in the number of unemployed women (7.4%) was influenced by the rises in the unemployed with prior work experience (7.3%) and first-time job seekers (7.9%). For women, the participation rate rose 0.5 pp to stand at 53.4% and the employment rate rose 0.2 pp to stand at 48.1%. Meanwhile, the decrease in women outside the labour force (-0.2%) can be exclusively attributed to the routinely inactive.

For men, the unemployment rate showed no year-on-year variation, remaining at 8.1%, a result that was due to the equal magnitude of the decrease in the labour force (-0.1%) and employed men (-0.1%). In the same period, the decrease in the number of unemployed men (-0.3%) can exclusively be attributed to the unemployed with prior work experience (-2.6%). For men, the participation rate fell 0.8 pp to stand at 71.5% and the employment rate fell 0.7 pp to stand at 65.7%. In the same period, the increase in the number of men outside the labour force (3.5%) was influenced by the routinely inactive and inactive persons who are potentially active.

Increase in employed persons

The year-on-year increase in the estimated total number of employed persons (0.5%) can exclusively be attributed to the rise in women (1.2%) because the number of employed men decreased 0.1%.

According to economic sector, the growth in employed persons was influenced by the rises in health activities (6.1%), professional activities (8.8%), commerce (1.1%), and real estate activities (18.8%). According to occupational category, the growth can be attributed to the rises in informal wage earners (10.9%) and own-account workers (1.8%).

Labour informality

The informal employment rate rose 0.7 pp year on year to stand at 26.5%. For women, the informal employment rate rose 0.8 pp to stand at 27.9%. For men, the rate rose 0.6 pp to stand at 25.4%.

The number of informally employed persons rose 3.2% year on year. By economic sector, the greatest influences on the increase were the rises in commerce (7.9%), and manufacturing (5.8%). By occupational category, the greatest influences were the rises in wage earners of the private sector (10.7%) and wage earners of the public sector (12.5%).

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 8.7%, an increase of 0.2 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 0.1% year on year while the average number of hours worked fell 0.5% to stand at 35.7 hours. Men worked an average of 38.4 hours, and women worked an average of 32.2 hours.

The combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force (which, in addition to unemployed persons, includes persons who are outside the labour force and are available to work or are seeking employment) stood at 17.4%, an increase of 0.5 pp. The indicator stood at 14.6% for men and 20.8% for women, and the gender gap was 6.2 pp.

Metropolitan Region 

In the Metropolitan Region, the unemployment rate for the January–March 2026 quarter increased 0.2 pp year on year to stand at 9.6%. In the same period, the estimated total number of employed persons decreased 0.2%, which can mainly be attributed to the falls in the economic sectors information and communications (-16.0%), financial and insurance activities (-14.4%), and public administration (-8.6%).

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