Unemployment reached 7.9% in the City and self-employed and informal jobs grew

The deterioration, precariousness and labor informality They continue to advance in the City of Buenos Aires. The fact is that, in one year, 46,500 Buenos Aires citizens went out to look for work and a good part (42,000) obtained it in self-employed, short-hour, informal or “black” jobs, according to data from the Buenos Aires Institute of Statistics and Censuses.

Thus the employment rate had an increase from 57.9% to 59% of the active population (1,592,000 people versus 1,550,000 a year ago) while unemployment increased from 132,000 to 136,500 in the City in the first quarter of 2026 compared to a year ago.

This increase in employment was due to the fact that labor underemployment increased again among the Buenos Aires salaried population. It rose from 146,000 to 156,000 people (i.e. from 8.7 to 9%).

Self-employment increased by 27,500 people (from 323,000 to 350,500); and full employees, 4,500 people. Meanwhile, Informality grew among salaried workers from 24.6% to 27.3%that is, 28,600 more people.

The Report indicates that 74.1% of the employed population works as salaried workers. And it decreased because a year ago, this segment represented 74.5%.

For its part, also Retirement coverage decreased because from 74.6% a year ago it fell to 72.7%. Thus, “as a counterpart to the above, employers do not give retirement discounts to practically three out of every ten members of the salaried population (27.3%), with a year-on-year increase.”

On the other hand, among monotributistas there was a slight increase because from 67% those who are registered and have regular payments to Social Security increased to 67.3%.

In turn, Unemployment had a slight increase: there were 136,500 (7.9%) versus 132,000 unemployed (7.8%) in the first quarter of 2025 and 113,500 in the fourth quarter of 2024 (6.7%).

Compared to the end of 2023, in those 27 months, unemployment rose from 4.6% (75,500) to 7.9% (136,500): there are 61,000 more unemployed. 7.9% is the highest unemployment percentage since the second quarter of 2022. Also in that period there was a sharp increase in underemployment: from 129,500 (7.8%) in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 156,000 (9%).

The following labor outlook emerges from the Buenos Aires report: