FX.co ★ hile's Unemployment Holds at 8.3% in February

Chile’s unemployment rate was 8.3% for the December 2025–February 2026 quarter, unchanged from the previous rolling quarter. By gender, unemployment reached 9.0% for women and 7.8% for men. In the Metropolitan Region, the rate stood at 8.8%.

Year-over-year, the national unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage points, reflecting a 1.0% increase in the labor force, slightly outpaced by a 1.0% rise in employment. The number of unemployed people grew 0.3%, driven entirely by an 11.9% increase in first-time job seekers, while unemployment due to job loss fell 1.1%.

Over the past 12 months, total employment rose 1.0%, supported solely by a 2.4% increase in employed women; employment among men showed no variation. By sector, job growth was led by healthcare activities, up 8.9%, and by professional activities together with accommodation and food services, both up 9.4%.

Compared with the same period a year earlier, the labor force participation rate remained at 62.3%, and the employment-to-population ratio held at 57.1%.