The unemployment rate in Argentina was 6.6% in the third quarter of 2025, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared to the same period last year when it reached 6.9%. However, the problem remains significant: 1.4 million people continue to look for work without finding it.
The data comes from INDEC’s latest labor market report, which also showed a slight improvement in other indicators. The employment rate increased by 0.47 points from 45% to 45.4%, while the participation rate increased from 48.3% to 48.6%, reflecting greater participation of people in the labor market.
Greater La Plata: Unemployment above the national average
In the greater La Plata area, which includes La Plata, Berisso and Ensenada, unemployment was 8.1%, well above the national average. According to the official report, about 39,000 people are unemployed in the region.
The data represents a sharp jump compared to the second quarter of 2025, when the index was at 6.9%, indicating recent deterioration in the local labor market.
However, the year-on-year comparison shows an improvement: in the third quarter of 2024, unemployment in the region was 9.7%, which corresponds to around 45,000 people without work. The indicator fell by 1.6 points within a year, but is still at a high level.
How La Plata compares to other cities
When comparing greater La Plata to other urban areas in the country, the region appears near the top of the unemployment rankings:
Greater La Plata: 8.1%
City of Buenos Aires: 3.9%
Suburbs of Buenos Aires: 7.6%
Mar del Plata: 6.8%
White Bay: 7.4%
Greater Cordoba: 7.4%
Large rosary: 8.9%
Greater Parana: 5%
Greater Santa Fe: 6.2%
Fourth river: 6.9%
Santa Rosa–Toay: 8.5%
San Nicolas – Villa Constitution: 5.4%
Endurance: 9.7%
Gallegos River: 10.8%
The data place the La Plata region above large urban centers such as Córdoba, Mar del Plata or Bahía Blanca and only below conglomerates with greater structural difficulties such as Rosario, Resistencia and Río Gallegos.
Although national indicators show a slight recovery, the La Plata metropolitan area continues to have a fragile labor market, with unemployment below the national average. The strong presence of public jobs, the decline in consumption and the weakness of the private sector appear to be the key factors explaining the situation.
In a city characterized by state administration and services, the INDEC figures confirm that the macroeconomic improvement has not yet had a uniform impact across the entire territory.
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