Mexico’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.7% in January 2026, unchanged year-over-year and slightly above forecasts of 2.6%, with 1.7 million unemployed. The rate was identical for men and women, though women saw a 0.2-point annual decline while men rose 0.1 point. Among the unemployed, 12.6% lacked secondary education, while 87.2% had higher education. The largest share (43.7%) was aged 25–44, followed by 15–24 year-olds (32.8%). Half (50.6%) had been jobless for one month or less, 31.1% for 1–3 months. source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI)

Unemployment Rate in Mexico increased to 2.70 percent in January from 2.40 percent in December of 2025. Unemployment Rate in Mexico averaged 3.66 percent from 1994 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 6.42 percent in September of 2009 and a record low of 2.20 percent in March of 2025. This page provides the latest reported value for - Mexico Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Mexico Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on March of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Mexico increased to 2.70 percent in January from 2.40 percent in December of 2025. Unemployment Rate in Mexico is expected to be 3.10 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Mexico Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 3.00 percent in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-01-26 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Dec 2.4% 2.7% 2.6% 2.5%
2026-02-26 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jan 2.7% 2.4% 2.6% 2.7%
2026-03-27 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Feb 2.7%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 59785854.00 59533449.00 Dec 2025
Employment Rate 97.30 97.61 percent Jan 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 58.50 59.10 percent Jan 2026
Labour Costs 232.80 157.40 points Dec 2025
Productivity 91.30 94.20 points Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 1562348.00 1769806.00 Dec 2025
Unemployment Rate 2.70 2.40 percent Jan 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 6.10 4.40 USD/Hour Dec 2025


Mexico Unemployment Rate
In Mexico, 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
2.70 2.40 6.42 2.20 1994 - 2026 percent Monthly
NSA

News Stream
Mexico’s Jobless Rate Slightly Above Forecast
Mexico’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.7% in January 2026, unchanged year-over-year and slightly above forecasts of 2.6%, with 1.7 million unemployed. The rate was identical for men and women, though women saw a 0.2-point annual decline while men rose 0.1 point. Among the unemployed, 12.6% lacked secondary education, while 87.2% had higher education. The largest share (43.7%) was aged 25–44, followed by 15–24 year-olds (32.8%). Half (50.6%) had been jobless for one month or less, 31.1% for 1–3 months.
2026-02-26
Mexico Jobless Rate Below Expectations in December
Mexico’s unemployment rate stood at 2.4% in December 2025, unchanged from the same period a year earlier and below market expectations of 2.6%. The number of unemployed people totaled 1.5 million. Unemployment among women was higher at 2.6%, compared with 2.2% for men. Individuals without completed lower-secondary education accounted for 11.0% of the unemployed, while those with higher educational attainment represented 88.8%. By age group, unemployment was concentrated among those aged 25–44 years (46.1%), followed by young people aged 15–24 years (33.5%). In terms of duration, 42.9% had been unemployed for one month or less, while 32.6% had been without work for more than one month and up to three months. The underemployment rate stood at 6.2%.
2026-01-26
Mexico Unemployment Rate Edges Higher as Expected
The unemployment rate in Mexico was at 2.7% in November of 2025, inching higher from the 2.6% in the corresponding period of the previous year and in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed individuals rose by 11 thousand from the previous year to 1.64 million. In the meantime, the number of employed individuals fell by 163 thousand to 59.84 million, reflecting some softening in the labor market after the prolonged period of elevated real interest rates by the Bank of Mexico. Hence, the labor force participation rate inched down by 1 percentage point to 59%.
2025-12-24