Unemployment fell to 9.5% in the second quarter of 2026, down from 10.8% in the first three months of the year, new figures show.
Women continued to face higher unemployment than men. The unemployment rate stood at 14.8% for women, compared with 8.1% for men.
Young people were still the hardest hit. The unemployment rate reached 27.2% among people aged 15 to 24. It was 14.5% for those aged between 25 and 34.
People with higher education qualifications had the highest unemployment rate at 16.7%. The rate was 16% for people with intermediate qualifications and 11.4% for those with basic qualifications. It dropped to 3.8% among people without any qualifications.
The labour force reached 11.764 million people in the second quarter. It includes everyone who is working or actively looking for a job. About 63.5% of them lived in urban areas. The labour force grew by 147,000 people compared with the previous quarter.
The labour force participation rate stood at 42.2% nationwide. It reached 41.2% in urban areas and 44% in rural areas.
The gap between men and women remained wide. Labour force participation stood at 66.5% for men but only 18.1% for women.
The services sector remained the country’s biggest employer. It provided jobs for 5.251 million people, or 49.3% of all paid workers.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing employed 2.569 million people, making up 24.1% of total employment. Industry employed 1.456 million people, or 13.7%, while construction and public works accounted for 1.356 million jobs, or 12.7%.
In cities, 64.5% of paid workers were employed in services. Industry accounted for another 17.6%.
In rural areas, agriculture, forestry and fishing employed 54.5% of paid workers. Services accounted for 24.7%.
Services created the most new jobs between the first and second quarters of the year, adding 166,000 positions. Industry created 47,000 jobs, while construction and public works added 42,000. Agriculture, forestry and fishing created another 28,000 jobs.
