The sectors that contributed to the increase in the employed population were commerce (5.1%), public administration (6.8%) and households as employers (12.5%).

The National Institute of Statistics (INE) reported this Tuesday morning that the unemployment rate in Chile reached 8.7% in the January – March 2024 quarter.

In that same period, in the Metropolitan region the unemployment rate reached 9.6%, with a decrease of 0.5 pp. in twelve months.

In the country, informal employment stood at 28.1%, with an increase of 0.7 pp. in a year.

Unemployment in Chile reaches 8.7%

The unemployment rate in Chile was 8.7% during the January – March 2024 quarter. The figure meant a decrease of 0.1 percentage points (pp.) in twelve months, due to the increase in the labor force (3.2%) was lower than that presented by employed people (3.4%).

For its part, “unemployed people increased 1.7%, affected by those looking for work for the first time (13.0%) and those who were unemployed (0.5%),” said the INE.

Compared to the same period of the previous year, participation and occupancy rates stood at 62.4% and 57.0%, growing 1.4 pp. and 1.3 pp., respectively.

On the other hand, the population outside the labor force decreased 2.7%, influenced only by habitually inactive people (-4.9%).

Increase in employed people

In twelve months, the INE added, “employed people experienced an increase of 3.4%, affected by both women (4.1%) and men (2.8%).”

According to the report, the sectors that contributed to the increase in the employed population were commerce (5.1%), public administration (6.8%) and households as employers (12.5%); while all occupational categories presented increases, led by formal employees (3.4%), informal employees (6.3%) and self-employed workers (1.1%).

Informality

The informal employment rate stood at 28.1%, with an increase of 0.7 pp. in a year.

“People in informal employment increased 5.8%, affected by both women (7.8%) and men (4.1%); and by economic sector, mainly due to commerce (13.3%) and households as employers (22.5%),” the INE noted.

Metropolitan region

Finally, the INE indicated that in the Metropolitan region the unemployment rate for the January – March 2024 quarter reached 9.6%, with a decrease of 0.5 pp. in twelve months.

In the same period, the estimate of the total employed population grew 2.3%.

According to economic sector, commerce (6%), households as employers (14.5%) and education (4.9%) registered the main positive incidents.