Costa Rica Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.0% in Q2

2026-09-17 23:17 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

The unemployment rate in Costa Rica fell to 7.0% in the second quarter of 2026 from 7.4% in the same period a year earlier, but little changed from 7.1% in the previous quarter.

Nationwide, the number of unemployed people was estimated at 164,000, including 98,000 men and 66,000 women.

The unemployment rate was 6.8% for men and 7.2% for women.

The labor force stood at 2.35 million, comprising 1.43 million men and 921,000 women, while the net labor force participation rate was 54.6%, at 66.3% for men and 42.9% for women.

Employment rose to 2.18 million, with the employment rate at 50.8%, compared with 61.7% for men and 39.8% for women.

Informal employment totaled 785,000, including 438,000 self-employed workers and 348,000 wage earners or family helpers.



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Costa Rica Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.0% in Q2
The unemployment rate in Costa Rica fell to 7.0% in the second quarter of 2026 from 7.4% in the same period a year earlier, but little changed from 7.1% in the previous quarter. Nationwide, the number of unemployed people was estimated at 164,000, including 98,000 men and 66,000 women. The unemployment rate was 6.8% for men and 7.2% for women. The labor force stood at 2.35 million, comprising 1.43 million men and 921,000 women, while the net labor force participation rate was 54.6%, at 66.3% for men and 42.9% for women. Employment rose to 2.18 million, with the employment rate at 50.8%, compared with 61.7% for men and 39.8% for women. Informal employment totaled 785,000, including 438,000 self-employed workers and 348,000 wage earners or family helpers.
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Costa Rica’s unemployment rate rose to 7.1% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 6.3% in the previous quarter and little changed compared to the same period a year earlier. The unemployment rate stood at 6.4% for men and 8.1% for women. Nationwide, the number of unemployed people was estimated at 164,000, including 92,000 men and 72,000 women. Meanwhile, the share of employed people classified as underemployed was estimated at 3.3%. The number of workers employed in informal jobs reached 824,000.
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