Economy, jobs and prices in Santa Cruz, Argentina: official figures
The 2022 census found 13,561 unemployed people in Santa Cruz out of 172,698 economically active residents aged 14 and over, an unemployment rate of 7.9%; 11th lowest of the 23 provinces and Buenos Aires City (Argentina: 8.5%).
How many people in Santa Cruz have a job?
159,137 residents aged 14 and over in Santa Cruz were in work at the 2022 census, 61.3% of that age group, 5th highest of the 23 provinces and Buenos Aires City (Argentina: 58.2%); 66.5% were working or looking for work.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Santa Cruz now?
Unemployment in the Río Gallegos urban area was 8.8% in the second quarter of 2026, according to INDEC's Permanent Household Survey (EPH) (INDEC classes estimates with a coefficient of variation above 25% as unreliable; this one is 27.3%); joint 7th highest of the 32 urban areas INDEC reports (all 31 areas: 7.9%). The survey covers this urban area, not the whole province.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyIs unemployment rising in Santa Cruz?
A year earlier, in the second quarter of 2025, unemployment in the Río Gallegos area was 6.2%, so the rate is up 2.6 percentage points (all 31 areas: 7.6% to 7.9%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in Santa Cruz are underemployed?
11.1% of the workforce in the Río Gallegos area was underemployed (working fewer hours than they wanted) in the second quarter of 2026, and 13.7% were in work but looking for another job (all 31 areas: 11.5% and 16.9%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow Santa Cruz compares with other provinces
Unemployment rate (Census 2022) (2022)
Santa Cruz ranks 14 of 24, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unemployment rate (Census 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Jujuy | 7.9% |
| 12 | Salta | 7.9% |
| 13 | Entre Rios | 7.9% |
| 14 | Santa Cruz | 7.9% |
| 15 | Rio Negro | 7.8% |
| 16 | Chubut | 7.7% |
| 17 | Catamarca | 7.6% |
Employment rate, ages 14+ (Census 2022) (2022)
Santa Cruz ranks 5 of 24, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Employment rate, ages 14+ (Census 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Tierra del Fuego | 62.5% |
| 3 | Neuquen | 61.6% |
| 4 | La Pampa | 61.5% |
| 5 | Santa Cruz | 61.3% |
| 6 | Chubut | 60.8% |
| 7 | La Rioja | 60.1% |
| 8 | Rio Negro | 60.1% |
Unemployment rate in the province's largest EPH urban area (Q2 2026)
Santa Cruz ranks 6 of 24, highest first. INDEC's household survey covers 31 urban areas, not whole provinces; each province is shown by its largest surveyed urban area.
| Rank | Region | Unemployment rate in the province's largest EPH urban area |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Chubut | 9.2% |
| 4 | Corrientes | 9.1% |
| 5 | Buenos Aires Province | 8.8% |
| 6 | Santa Cruz | 8.8% |
| 7 | Mendoza | 8.1% |
| 8 | Tierra del Fuego | 8.1% |
| 9 | Chaco | 7.5% |
More on Santa Cruz: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · Argentina
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC): Censo 2022, resultados definitivos: Cuadro 1, population aged 14 and over in private dwellings by economic activity status and jurisdiction, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4f85e28dc7…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC): Mercado de trabajo: tasas e indicadores socioeconomicos (EPH), segundo trimestre de 2026: Cuadros 1.2-1.4 and 1.8 (labour-market rates by urban area, reference population, unemployment coefficients of variation, unemployment series 2016-2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1e66ffc84c08…)
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