Buenos Aires province unemployment spikes, La Plata job lines grow

Unemployment in the Province of Buenos Aires rose sharply in the first quarter of 2026. The overall unemployment rate for the six largest urban agglomerations increased from 8 % to 9.5 %, adding about 137,000 jobless people compared with the same period in 2023. Mar del Plata saw the biggest jump, climbing from 4.9 % to 9.3 %, while Bahía Blanca‑Cerri rose to 10.1 % and San Nicolás‑Villa Constitución to 10.4 %. In the Greater Buenos Aires area the rate went from 8.3 % to 9.7 % and in Gran La Plata from 7.1 % to 7.8 %.

Under‑employment also surged, most dramatically in Gran La Plata where the share of workers with reduced hours more than doubled from 9.3 % to 18.2 %. Economy Minister Pablo López warned that “national economic policy is excluding thousands of families in Buenos Aires.”

The labour squeeze manifested in long queues for a hiring drive at Star Deportes in La Plata’s Calle 12. Waiting lines stretched two blocks as dozens of job‑seekers, many without work for months, stood for hours to submit their applications. The latest INDEC data show about 37,000 unemployed in La Plata, Berisso and Ensenada, representing a 7.8 % unemployment rate in the local area.