Argentina unemployment rates show sharp regional disparities

A report by Universidad Austral titled ‘Drivers regionales de la actividad económica en Argentina’ reveals significant regional disparities in Argentina’s unemployment rates for the second quarter of 2026.

The Central Region, driven by agroindustry and comprising Santa Fe, Córdoba, and Entre Ríos, saw unemployment reach 10%, a 2.5 percentage point increase compared to the previous year. Within this region, Gran Rosario recorded the highest unemployment rate among 31 urban areas at 11.5%, while Gran Córdoba reached 10.5%.

In contrast, the Southern Region, linked to the hydrocarbon sector and consisting of Neuquén and Río Negro, saw unemployment drop to 2.5%. Specifically, the Neuquén-Plottier area saw employment growth of 3.8 percentage points, reaching 48.9%, while its unemployment rate fell to 3.2%.

Nationally, across 31 urban areas surveyed by INDEC, the employment rate stood at 45% and the unemployment rate at 7.9%.