Chile’s unemployment rate rose to 9.8% in the July–September 2026 quarter, up from 9.6% in the previous period and above market expectations of 9.5%. This marked the highest level since November 2021. The number of unemployed increased by 15.3% year-on-year to approximately 1 million, driven by both those who were laid off (14.4%) and those seeking employment for the first time (24.7%). Meanwhile, total employment fell by 1.1% to 9.27 million, pushing the employment rate down slightly to 55.5% from 55.6%. Job losses were concentrated in manufacturing (-8.1%), information and communications (-20.8%), and financial and insurance activities (-14.1%). Meanwhile, the labour force grew by 0.3%, and the participation rate edged up to 61.6% from 61.5%. By gender, unemployment remained higher among women at 10.5%, compared with 9.3% for men. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 9.6%. source: National Institute of Statistics, Chile

Unemployment Rate in Chile increased to 9.80 percent in September from 9.60 percent in August of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Chile averaged 8.22 percent from 1986 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 13.50 percent in February of 1986 and a record low of 5.10 percent in February of 1998. This page provides the latest reported value for - Chile Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Chile Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Chile increased to 9.80 percent in September from 9.60 percent in August of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Chile is expected to be 9.00 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Chile Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 8.90 percent in 2027 and 9.00 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-09-30 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Aug 9.6% 9.5% 9.5% 9.5%
2026-10-29 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Sep 9.8% 9.6% 9.5% 9.6%
2026-11-27 12:00 PM
Unemployment Rate
Oct 9.8%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 9274.74 9273.75 Thousand Sep 2026
Employment Rate 55.50 55.60 percent Sep 2026
Population 20.20 20.09 Million Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 1007.98 989.40 Thousand Sep 2026
Unemployment Rate 9.80 9.60 percent Sep 2026
Wages 7614.00 7599.00 CLP/Hour Aug 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 126.89 126.66 points Aug 2026


Chile Unemployment Rate
In Chile, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
9.80 9.60 13.50 5.10 1986 - 2026 percent Monthly

News Stream
Chile Jobless Rate Climbs Above Expectations
Chile’s unemployment rate rose to 9.8% in the July–September 2026 quarter, up from 9.6% in the previous period and above market expectations of 9.5%. This marked the highest level since November 2021. The number of unemployed increased by 15.3% year-on-year to approximately 1 million, driven by both those who were laid off (14.4%) and those seeking employment for the first time (24.7%). Meanwhile, total employment fell by 1.1% to 9.27 million, pushing the employment rate down slightly to 55.5% from 55.6%. Job losses were concentrated in manufacturing (-8.1%), information and communications (-20.8%), and financial and insurance activities (-14.1%). Meanwhile, the labour force grew by 0.3%, and the participation rate edged up to 61.6% from 61.5%. By gender, unemployment remained higher among women at 10.5%, compared with 9.3% for men. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 9.6%.
2026-10-29
Chile Jobless Rate Edges Higher
Chile’s unemployment rate rose to 9.6% in the June-August 2026 quarter from 9.5% in the previous period and slightly above forecasts of 9.5%. The number of unemployed people increased 13% year-on-year, driven by a 12.1% rise in people who had previously held jobs and a 23.2% increase in first-time job seekers. Total employment declined 0.9%. By economic sector, employment fell most in manufacturing (-7.6%), information and communications (-16.8%) and commerce (-1.1%). The informal employment rate reached 26.3%. Among women, unemployment rose to 10.3%, up 1.0 percentage point, as the labor force increased 1.3%, outpacing the 0.2% rise in employment. Among men, unemployment reached 9.1%, up 1.1 percentage points, as the labor force declined 0.5%, less than the 1.7% drop in employment. In the Metropolitan Region, unemployment reached 9.8%. The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate was 9.4%.
2026-09-30
Chile Unemployment Rate Edges Higher
Chile’s unemployment rate rose to 9.5% in the May-July 2026 rolling quarter, slighly up from 9.4% in the previous period. The number of unemployed people increased 10.4%, driven by both those who had previously worked and first-time jobseekers. The participation and employment rates declined to 61.7% and 55.9%, respectively. Unemployment reached 10.3% among women, up 0.6 percentage points, and 8.9% among men, up 1 percentage point. The employment decline was driven by information and communications (-14.6%), education (-3.3%), and manufacturing (-2.7%). Meanwhile, the informal employment rate rose 0.5 percentage points to 26.5%.
2026-08-28