Piedad Urdinola, director of the National Administrative Department of Statistics, who explained that this is the lowest figure for this period since 2001.
News Colombia.
The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) delivered the official figures of the labor market in Colombia corresponding to September 2025.
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Last September 2025 was historic in terms of unemployment, as the Unemployment Rate closed at 8.2%, one percentage point lower than the same month last year, when it was 9.1%. This is the lowest figure of this century, barely comparable with that recorded in 2001, according to DANE. In addition, the Global Participation Rate reached 63.9%, compared to 63.5% in September 2024, and the Employment Rate rose to 58.7%, one point more than the previous year.
In the 13 major cities and metropolitan areas, the Unemployment Rate was 8.1%, down from 9.2% a year ago. In these urban centers, the Global Participation Rate stood at 66.4%, slightly higher than last year’s 66.2%, while the Employment Rate remained at 61%, showing stability in the labor market in the main urban areas of the country.
The DANE report indicates that, as of September 2025, there were 40.7 million people of working age. Of them, 23.9 million were employed, which represents 714,000 new jobs compared to the same month in 2024. For its part, the unemployed population was reduced to 2.13 million people, that is, 204,000 less than the previous year.
Likewise, the population outside the labor force, made up of students, housewives, pensioners and people with disabilities, reached 14.7 million people, with a slight increase of 39,000 compared to last year. This behavior indicates greater integration of the population into the labor market, especially in the services and commerce sectors.
Regarding gender gaps, the document indicates that unemployment affected 7.1% of men and 9.6% of women, with a difference of 2.6 percentage points. In the 13 main cities, that gap was reduced to 0.6 pp, with an unemployment rate of 7.9% for men and 8.4% for women. Although the difference persists, analysts consider that it is a positive sign towards greater labor equity in the country.
#ATTENTION The unemployment rate in Colombia in the month of September maintained its downward trend, going from 9.1% to 8.2%, confirmed the director of DANE, Piedad Urdinola, who explained that this is the lowest figure for this period since 2001. pic.twitter.com/LdsALscWgS
— ÚltimaHoraCaracol (@UltimaHoraCR) October 31, 2025
Unemployment in Colombia by cities
The most recent DANE report revealed that between July and September 2025 the national unemployment rate was 8.5%, with marked regional differences. Quibdó led the list with a worrying figure of 24%, followed by Riohacha (14.2%), Sincelejo (11.5%) and Ibagué (11.4%), all above the national average. In contrast, the cities with the lowest unemployment were Medellín (6.4%), Villavicencio (6.6%) and Florencia (7.6%), evidencing an unequal employment panorama in the country.
DANE also highlighted an improvement in youth employability, with a reduction in the unemployment rate to 14.6% for the July-September quarter. However, the report warns of an increase in labor informality, which reached 54.5% at the national level and 41.2% in the main cities, which represents more than 160 thousand new informal jobs compared to the previous year. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September stood at 8.8%, consolidating a slight general improvement, although with persistent challenges in terms of job quality.
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