The unemployment rate in Chile stood at the close of the third quarter at 9.8%, which implies a rebound of two tenths compared to the June to August period and an increase of 1.3 points compared to the same stretch of the previous year, thus returning to levels similar to those of mid-2021.
According to the data released this Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the year-on-year increase was explained by a slight advance of 0.3% in the labor force, insufficient to offset the 1.1% drop in the number of employed people.
In parallel, the volume of unemployed people soared by 15.3%, driven both by the growth of unemployed persons (14.4%) and by the sharp increase in those looking for work for the first time (24.7%).
The participation and employment rates stood at 61.6% and 55.5%, respectively, which means three tenths less in the first case and a drop of 1.1 points in the second. By gender, female unemployment reached 10.5%, while among men it stood at 9.3%.
Likewise, the total of effective hours worked fell by 2.2% in the last twelve months, in line with the 1.1% decrease in the average working day, which was set at 36 hours per week.