Creation of 282,000 New Jobs in One Year
Between the first quarter of 2024 and the same quarter of the current year, the national economy generated 282,000 jobs, resulting from the creation of 285,000 jobs in urban areas, while 3,000 jobs were lost in rural areas, following the loss of 80,000 jobs the previous year.
According to a report from the High Commission for Planning on the state of the labor market during the first quarter of 2025, a total of 319,000 paid jobs were created nationwide, compared to the loss of 37,000 unpaid jobs.
Excluding the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors, which lost 72,000 jobs, other economic sectors contributed positively to job creation. The services sector created 216,000 jobs, followed by the industrial sector with 83,000 jobs and the construction and public works sector with 52,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate decreased by 15,000 individuals, due to a drop of 40,000 in urban areas and an increase of 25,000 in rural areas, bringing the total to 1,630,000 people nationwide.
Thus, the unemployment rate shifted from 13.7% to 13.3% at the national level (-0.4 points), from 17.6% to 16.6% in urban areas (-1 point), and from 6.8% to 7.3% in rural areas (+0.5 points). This rate remains high among youth aged 15 to 24 (37.7%), women (19.9%), and people with diplomas (19.4%).
The number of active individuals employed in underemployment rose during the same period from 1,069,000 to 1,254,000 nationwide, from 571,000 to 662,000 in urban areas, and from 499,000 to 592,000 in rural areas. Consequently, the underemployment rate increased from 10.3% to 11.8% at the national level, from 9% to 10% in urban areas, and from 12.5% to 14.8% in rural areas.
