Chile’s unemployment rate rose to 9.6% in the June-August 2026 quarter from 9.5% in the previous period and slightly above forecasts of 9.5%. The number of unemployed people increased 13% year-on-year, driven by a 12.1% rise in people who had previously held jobs and a 23.2% increase in first-time job seekers. Total employment declined 0.9%. By economic sector, employment fell most in manufacturing (-7.6%), information and communications (-16.8%) and commerce (-1.1%). The informal employment rate reached 26.3%. Among women, unemployment rose to 10.3%, up 1.0 percentage point, as the labor force increased 1.3%, outpacing the 0.2% rise in employment. Among men, unemployment reached 9.1%, up 1.1 percentage points, as the labor force declined 0.5%, less than the 1.7% drop in employment. In the Metropolitan Region, unemployment reached 9.8%. The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate was 9.4%. source: National Institute of Statistics, Chile

Unemployment Rate in Chile increased to 9.60 percent in August from 9.50 percent in July of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Chile averaged 8.22 percent from 1986 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 13.50 percent in February of 1986 and a record low of 5.10 percent in February of 1998. This page provides the latest reported value for - Chile Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Chile Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Chile increased to 9.60 percent in August from 9.50 percent in July of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Chile is expected to be 9.00 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Chile Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 8.90 percent in 2027 and 9.00 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-08-28 01:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jul 9.5% 9.4% 9.4% 9.2%
2026-09-30 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Aug 9.6% 9.5% 9.5% 9.5%
2026-10-29 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Sep 9.6% 9.0%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 9314.02 9403.30 Thousand Jul 2026
Employment Rate 55.90 56.40 percent Jul 2026
Population 20.20 20.09 Million Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 981.04 980.27 Thousand Jul 2026
Unemployment Rate 9.60 9.50 percent Aug 2026
Wages 7599.00 7538.00 CLP/Hour Jul 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 126.66 125.99 points Jul 2026


Chile Unemployment Rate
In Chile, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
9.60 9.50 13.50 5.10 1986 - 2026 percent Monthly

News Stream
Chile Jobless Rate Edges Higher
Chile’s unemployment rate rose to 9.6% in the June-August 2026 quarter from 9.5% in the previous period and slightly above forecasts of 9.5%. The number of unemployed people increased 13% year-on-year, driven by a 12.1% rise in people who had previously held jobs and a 23.2% increase in first-time job seekers. Total employment declined 0.9%. By economic sector, employment fell most in manufacturing (-7.6%), information and communications (-16.8%) and commerce (-1.1%). The informal employment rate reached 26.3%. Among women, unemployment rose to 10.3%, up 1.0 percentage point, as the labor force increased 1.3%, outpacing the 0.2% rise in employment. Among men, unemployment reached 9.1%, up 1.1 percentage points, as the labor force declined 0.5%, less than the 1.7% drop in employment. In the Metropolitan Region, unemployment reached 9.8%. The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate was 9.4%.
2026-09-30
Chile Unemployment Rate Edges Higher
Chile’s unemployment rate rose to 9.5% in the May-July 2026 rolling quarter, slighly up from 9.4% in the previous period. The number of unemployed people increased 10.4%, driven by both those who had previously worked and first-time jobseekers. The participation and employment rates declined to 61.7% and 55.9%, respectively. Unemployment reached 10.3% among women, up 0.6 percentage points, and 8.9% among men, up 1 percentage point. The employment decline was driven by information and communications (-14.6%), education (-3.3%), and manufacturing (-2.7%). Meanwhile, the informal employment rate rose 0.5 percentage points to 26.5%.
2026-08-28
Chile Jobless Rate Steady at 2021-Highs
Chile's unemployment rate stood at 9.4% in the April-June 2026 period, unchanged from the previous rolling quarter and in line with market expectations. The reading remained at its highest level since the quarter ending June 2021. The labor force increased 1.5% year-on-year, while the labor force participation rate edged down to 62.3% from 62.4%, as the number of unemployed eased slightly to 980 thousand. Meanwhile, employment rose 0.9% from a year earlier to 9.403 million, although the employment rate edged down to 56.4% from 56.5% in the previous period. Job creation was primarily driven by gains in transportation (6.8%), administrative and support service activities (12.9%), and human health activities (5.1%).
2026-07-31