Unemployment Rate in Chile

The unemployment rate measures the share of the labour force that is out of work but actively seeking a job, as a percentage of the economically active population. It is drawn from the INE's National Employment Survey (ENE) in Chile.

The INE surveys a panel of households using a rolling three-month window (the May figure, for instance, covers March-April-May) and publishes the national jobless rate without seasonal adjustment.

A weakening labour market (rising rate) tends to precede a cooling in consumption and may prompt the Banco Central de Chile to ease policy, while a falling rate signals economic strength.

Being a rolling-quarter measure, it reacts with a lag to sudden labour-market shocks, and the lack of seasonal adjustment makes it hard to compare consecutive months without looking at the year-on-year change.