Colombia Jobless Rate Drops in May

2026-06-30 15:48 By Isabela Couto 1 min. read

Colombia’s unemployment rate fell to 8.0% in May 2026 from 8.8% in the previous month, remaining below market expectations of 8.9% and marking the lowest reading for the month of May since 2001.

The unemployment rate for women stood at 9.9%, while the rate for men was 6.6%, resulting in a gender gap of 3.3 percentage points.

The number of unemployed people declined by 203,000 from a year earlier.

The sharpest drop was recorded in rural areas and small population centers, where unemployment fell 30.5%, followed by the 13 main cities and metropolitan areas, where it declined 4.4%.

For the rolling March–May 2026 period, the national unemployment rate averaged 8.5%.



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Colombia Jobless Rate Drops in May
Colombia’s unemployment rate fell to 8.0% in May 2026 from 8.8% in the previous month, remaining below market expectations of 8.9% and marking the lowest reading for the month of May since 2001. The unemployment rate for women stood at 9.9%, while the rate for men was 6.6%, resulting in a gender gap of 3.3 percentage points. The number of unemployed people declined by 203,000 from a year earlier. The sharpest drop was recorded in rural areas and small population centers, where unemployment fell 30.5%, followed by the 13 main cities and metropolitan areas, where it declined 4.4%. For the rolling March–May 2026 period, the national unemployment rate averaged 8.5%.
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Colombia Jobless Rate Unchanged at 8.8%
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Colombia’s unemployment rate fell to 8.8% in March 2026, down from 9.2% in February. Job gains were driven mainly by public administration and defense, education and health services, financial and insurance activities, and utilities, including electricity, gas, water, and waste management. In the country’s 13 main cities and metropolitan areas, the unemployment rate stood at 9.4%, slightly higher than the 9.3% recorded in the same month of 2025.
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