The unemployment rate fell to 15.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025, down from 15.4% in the third quarter of the same year, according to employment and unemployment indicators published on Sunday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
The number of unemployed stood at 645.2 thousand, down by 8.5 thousand compared with the third quarter of 2025 (653.7 thousand).
The unemployment rate increased to 12.6% for men (from 12.1% in Q3 2025) and fell to 20.8% for women, down from 22.4% in the third quarter of 2025.
Among young people aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate declined in Q4 2025 to 38.4%, compared with 40.1% in Q3 2025. This breaks down into 37% for men and 41.3% for women.
For higher education graduates, the unemployment rate fell to 22.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025 (from 24.9% in Q3 2025). The rate stands at 11.7% for men and 30.5% for women.
According to the INS, the labor force declined in the fourth quarter of 2025, standing at 4.255 million people, compared with 4.2593 million in the third quarter, a decrease of 4.3 thousand.
This labor force consisted of 2.9315 million men and 1.3235 million women, representing 68.9% and 31.1% of the active population, respectively.
The decline in the labor force in Q4 2025 led to a 0.2 percentage point drop in the participation rate, which stood at 45.9% of the working-age population (15 years and over), compared with 46.1% in Q3 2025.
The number of employed persons increased by 4.2 thousand, reaching 3.6098 million in Q4 2025, compared with 3.6056 million in the previous quarter.
Employment remains unevenly distributed by gender, with 2.5618 million men and 1.0481 million women, accounting for 71% and 29% of total employment, respectively.
In terms of sectors, 53.3% of employed persons work in services, 18.9% in manufacturing industries, 12.9% in non-manufacturing industries, and 14.8% in agriculture and fisheries.
