Overview
- INDEC’s Q4 2025 data show the jobless rate rose to 7.5%, affecting about 1.7 million people nationwide.
- Labor informality reached 43%, with roughly seven in ten workers aged 16–24 outside formal protections and 32% of informal workers living in poor households.
- Youth face the sharpest stress, as unemployment for people under 29 hit about 17%, more than double the national average.
- Pressure extends beyond unemployment: around 3.7 million employed people are actively seeking more hours or another job, lifting total labor market pressure to roughly 24% of the labor force.
- Regional gaps persist, with 9.5% unemployment in the Conurbano, Gran La Plata, Mar del Plata and Río Gallegos versus 4.8% in Buenos Aires city, while analysts note a shift toward monotributo and fewer registered private salaried jobs.