Employment and unemployment indicators for the first quarter of 2026, published by the National Institute of Statistics, show a decline in the unemployment rate to 15%, compared with 15.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025. The number of unemployed also fell, to 641.7 thousand people, from 645.2 thousand in the previous quarter.
The results of the employment survey for the first quarter of the current year, published Friday evening, show that the labor force reached 4,268,000 people, compared with 4,255,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 13,000 people.
The activity rate thus stood at 45.9% of the total population aged 15 years and over, compared with 45.4% in the previous quarter.
During the first quarter of 2026, the number of employed persons also increased to 3,626,300, of which 69.8% were men and 30.2% were women, compared with 3,609,800 in the fourth quarter of 2025, representing an estimated increase of 16,500 jobs.
The distribution of employed persons by economic activity sector shows that 52.9% work in services, 19% in manufacturing industries, 12.3% in non-manufacturing industries and 15.7% in agriculture and fishing.
By gender, the unemployment rate among men fell to 12.3%, from 12.6% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Among women, it also declined to 20.7%, from 20.8% in the same period.
By place of residence, the same indicators estimate the unemployment rate at 14.4% in urban areas and 16.5% in rural areas.
Youth unemployment aged 15 to 24 has also fallen to 37.5%, after reaching 38.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
On the other hand, the unemployment rate among graduates with higher education rose, reaching 24.2% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 22.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025. A marked gender gap persists, with a rate estimated at 14.2% among men and 32% among women.
