In March 2026, the unemployment rate in Ecuador showed an improvement and stood at 2.9% at the national level, which represents a decrease compared to the indicator of March 2025, which was 3.3%, and that of February of this year (3.1%).
This is according to the latest figures published by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), through the results of the National Employment, Unemployment and Underemployment Survey (Enemdu).
According to the report, 37,136 people came out of unemployment nationwide between March 2025 and March 2026.
In the urban area, the unemployment rate fell from 4.2% (March 2025) to 3.7% (last March). Meanwhile, in the rural area it was 1.5% last March, compared to 1.6% in the same month in 2025.
The national underemployment rate also showed a slight improvement, going from 20.9% in March of last year to 19.6%.
Meanwhile, the rate of people with adequate employment was 32.1% as of March 2026, while in March of last year it was 34.2%, which does not represent a statistically significant difference, according to INEC.
The suitable employment category is made up of 2.7 million workers as of March 2026.
The INEC defines that this group includes people who receive income equal to or greater than the basic salary, work equal to or more than 40 hours a week.
Also included are employed people who, during the reference week, receive labor income equal to or greater than the minimum wage, work less than 40 hours, but do not wish to work additional hours.
However, what does represent a statistically significant difference is the increase in the rate of other non-full employment, which went from 27.7% in March 2025 to 34.8% last March.
This rate includes employed people who, during the reference week, received income less than the minimum wage and/or worked less than the legal hours and do not have the desire or availability to work additional hours. (YO)
