The unemployment rate stood at 7.8% during the first quarter of 2026, according to the data released by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec).
The indicator recorded a year-on-year improvement, as it decreased by 0.1 percentage points compared to the same period in 2025, when it was at 7.9%.
This figure reflects a trend of stability with signs of improvement in the labor market, especially in a context where the participation of the population in economic activity continues to expand. In total, the number of unemployed individuals reached 1.72 million, in line with the growth of the economically active population (PEA).
INDEC data
In parallel, total employment showed sustained growth in the year-on-year comparison, with a increase of 371,447 jobs in the last year. This represents a rise of 1.8%, consolidating a recovery dynamic in terms of job creation.
Official data also indicates that activity and employment rates remained stable compared to the same quarter of the previous year, without major fluctuations and with signs of balance in the main indicators.
In this context, the evolution of employment reflects a greater absorption of workers into the system, accompanying the increase in the population seeking to enter the labor market. The slight decrease in the unemployment rate is a positive indicator within a scenario of expanding labor supply.
Javier Milei and Luis Caputo
Thus, Indec's data shows that, in percentage terms, unemployment achieved a year-on-year reduction, in a framework where more people participate in the labor market and where employment maintains a growth trend over the past year.
The evolution of these indicators will be key to assessing the continuity of this trend in the coming quarters, in an economic context that seeks to consolidate sustained improvements in the labor market.
