Uruguay Jobless Rate Rises Slightly in May

2026-07-01 17:50 By Isabela Couto 1 min. read

Uruguay’s unemployment rate edged up to 7.6% in May 2026 from 7.5% in April, pointing to a broadly stable labor market.

By region, the jobless rate stood at 7.7% in Montevideo and 7.6% in the country’s interior.

By gender, unemployment was lower among men at 6.8%, compared with 8.5% for women.

Younger workers continued to face the highest unemployment, with the rate reaching 25.7% among those aged 14 to 24.

For workers aged 25 to 29, the rate stood at 8.4%, while it declined steadily across older age groups, falling to 3.7% for those aged 35 to 44 and 2.3% for those aged 65 and over.

Among employed workers, 8.8% were underemployed and 20.9% were not registered with social security in their main job.

Meanwhile, Uruguay’s labor force participation rate stood at 64.4%, while the employment rate reached 59.5%.



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Uruguay Jobless Rate Rises Slightly in May
Uruguay’s unemployment rate edged up to 7.6% in May 2026 from 7.5% in April, pointing to a broadly stable labor market. By region, the jobless rate stood at 7.7% in Montevideo and 7.6% in the country’s interior. By gender, unemployment was lower among men at 6.8%, compared with 8.5% for women. Younger workers continued to face the highest unemployment, with the rate reaching 25.7% among those aged 14 to 24. For workers aged 25 to 29, the rate stood at 8.4%, while it declined steadily across older age groups, falling to 3.7% for those aged 35 to 44 and 2.3% for those aged 65 and over. Among employed workers, 8.8% were underemployed and 20.9% were not registered with social security in their main job. Meanwhile, Uruguay’s labor force participation rate stood at 64.4%, while the employment rate reached 59.5%.
2026-07-01
Uruguay Jobless Rate Declines in April
Uruguay’s unemployment rate fell to 7.5% in April 2026 from 7.8% in March, signaling an improvement in labor market conditions. The jobless rate stood at 7.6% in Montevideo and 7.4% in the rest of the country, while employment rates reached 60.5% and 58.8%, respectively. By gender, unemployment was 6.4% among men and 8.7% among women. Youth unemployment remained significantly higher than for other age groups, reaching 23.3% among people aged 14 to 24. The rate was 10.2% for those aged 25 to 29 and below 7% for most age groups over 30. Among employed workers, 9.3% were underemployed, while 21.7% were not registered with the social security system in their main job.
2026-06-03
Uruguay Jobless Rate Rises in March
Uruguay’s unemployment rate rose to 7.8% in March 2026 from 7.4% in February, marking the highest level since May 2025. Joblessness was slightly higher in Montevideo at 8.0% than in the rest of the country at 7.6%. By gender, the unemployment rate stood at 9.3% for women and 6.4% for men, while youth unemployment remained elevated at 25.9% and was lowest among workers aged 65 and over at 2.9%. Among those employed, 9.4% were underemployed and 22% were not registered with social security in their main job. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate edged down to 64.3% from 64.6%, and the employment rate declined to 59.3% from 59.8% in February.
2026-05-05