Economy, jobs and prices in Santa Fe, Argentina: official figures
The 2022 census found 144,646 unemployed people in Santa Fe out of 1,811,923 economically active residents aged 14 and over, an unemployment rate of 8.0%; 10th highest of the 23 provinces and Buenos Aires City (Argentina: 8.5%).
How many people in Santa Fe have a job?
1,667,277 residents aged 14 and over in Santa Fe were in work at the 2022 census, 59.0% of that age group, 10th highest of the 23 provinces and Buenos Aires City (Argentina: 58.2%); 64.2% were working or looking for work.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Santa Fe now?
Unemployment in the Gran Rosario urban area was 11.5% in the second quarter of 2026, according to INDEC's Permanent Household Survey (EPH); the highest of the 32 urban areas INDEC reports (all 31 areas: 7.9%). The survey covers the main urban areas, not the whole province.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyIs unemployment rising in Santa Fe?
A year earlier, in the second quarter of 2025, unemployment in the Gran Rosario area was 7.7%, so the rate is up 3.8 percentage points (all 31 areas: 7.6% to 7.9%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in Santa Fe are underemployed?
9.8% of the workforce in the Gran Rosario area was underemployed (working fewer hours than they wanted) in the second quarter of 2026, and 13.6% 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 copyMore figures
- Other urban areas surveyed in Santa Fe had these unemployment rates in the second quarter of 2026: San Nicolás - Villa Constitución 8.4% (it spans the Buenos Aires-Santa Fe border); Gran Santa Fe 8.6%. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copy
How Santa Fe compares with other provinces
Unemployment rate (Census 2022) (2022)
Santa Fe ranks 10 of 24, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unemployment rate (Census 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Buenos Aires Province | 9.2% |
| 8 | Santiago del Estero | 8.1% |
| 9 | Cordoba | 8.1% |
| 10 | Santa Fe | 8.0% |
| 11 | Jujuy | 7.9% |
| 12 | Salta | 7.9% |
| 13 | Entre Rios | 7.9% |
Employment rate, ages 14+ (Census 2022) (2022)
Santa Fe ranks 10 of 24, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Employment rate, ages 14+ (Census 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | La Rioja | 60.1% |
| 8 | Rio Negro | 60.1% |
| 9 | Cordoba | 59.7% |
| 10 | Santa Fe | 59.0% |
| 11 | Buenos Aires Province | 58.6% |
| 12 | Catamarca | 58.2% |
| 13 | San Luis | 57.9% |
Unemployment rate in the province's largest EPH urban area (Q2 2026)
Santa Fe ranks 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Fe | 11.5% |
| 2 | Cordoba | 10.5% |
| 3 | Chubut | 9.2% |
| 4 | Corrientes | 9.1% |
| 5 | Buenos Aires Province | 8.8% |
| 6 | Santa Cruz | 8.8% |
| 7 | Mendoza | 8.1% |
More on Santa Fe: 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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