Chile Jobless Rate Hits 2021-Peak

Chile’s unemployment rate climbed to 9.1% in the February-April 2026 quarter, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous year and above expectations of 8.9%. This was the highest reading since the quarter ended June 2021, as a 1.0% increase in the labor force outpaced the 0.7% rise in employment. Unemployment increased 4.1%, reflecting higher numbers of both previously employed individuals (+3.3%) and first-time job seekers (+11.6%). Job creation was concentrated in health (5.9%), manufacturing (4.1%) and professional activities (10.5%).

Chile's unemployment rate rose to 8.9% for the January-March 2026 quarter, up from 8.3% in the prior quarter. On an annual basis, unemployed persons increased by 3.3%, driven by those who were unemployed (2.0%) and first-time job seekers (14.5%). Unemployment among women stood at 10.0%, while the rate among men reached 8.1%. In the Metropolitan Region, the unemployment rate for the January-March 2026 quarter hit 9.6%. The combined unemployment and potential labor force rate, which includes the unemployed plus people outside the labor force who are available to work or seeking employment, reached 17.4%.

Chile's unemployment rate stood at 8.3% for the December 2025–February 2026 quarter, unchanged from the prior quarter. Women's unemployment was 9.0% while men's was 7.8%. In the Metropolitan Region, unemployment reached 8.8%. The jobless rate declined 0.1 percentage points year-over-year, driven by a 1.0% rise in the labor force slightly below the 1.0% growth in employed persons. The number of unemployed rose 0.3%, led entirely by first-time job seekers up 11.9%, as job losses fell 1.1%. Over 12 months, total employed persons rose 1.0%, driven entirely by women up 2.4%, while men showed no change. By sector, growth was led by healthcare activities up 8.9% and professional activities and accommodation and food services up 9.4%. Labor force participation and employment rates held steady at 62.3% and 57.1%, respectively, compared to the same period a year earlier.