Economy, jobs and prices in Santiago del Estero, Argentina: official figures
The 2022 census found 36,519 unemployed people in Santiago del Estero out of 449,159 economically active residents aged 14 and over, an unemployment rate of 8.1%; 8th highest of the 23 provinces and Buenos Aires City (Argentina: 8.5%).
How many people in Santiago del Estero have a job?
412,640 residents aged 14 and over in Santiago del Estero were in work at the 2022 census, 51.2% of that age group, 2nd lowest of the 23 provinces and Buenos Aires City (Argentina: 58.2%); 55.7% were working or looking for work.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Santiago del Estero now?
Unemployment in the Santiago del Estero - La Banda urban area was 0.9% 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 52.4%); 2nd lowest 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 Santiago del Estero?
A year earlier, in the second quarter of 2025, unemployment in the Santiago del Estero - La Banda area was 1.9%, so the rate is down 1.0 percentage points (all 31 areas: 7.6% to 7.9%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in Santiago del Estero are underemployed?
8.1% of the workforce in the Santiago del Estero - La Banda area was underemployed (working fewer hours than they wanted) in the second quarter of 2026, and 10.2% 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 Santiago del Estero compares with other provinces
Unemployment rate (Census 2022) (2022)
Santiago del Estero ranks 8 of 24, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unemployment rate (Census 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Mendoza | 9.5% |
| 6 | Corrientes | 9.2% |
| 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% |
Employment rate, ages 14+ (Census 2022) (2022)
Santiago del Estero ranks 23 of 24, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Employment rate, ages 14+ (Census 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Entre Rios | 56.2% |
| 19 | Chaco | 55.7% |
| 20 | Tucuman | 54.1% |
| 21 | San Juan | 53.8% |
| 22 | Formosa | 52.2% |
| 23 | Santiago del Estero | 51.2% |
| 24 | Corrientes | 50.8% |
Unemployment rate in the province's largest EPH urban area (Q2 2026)
Santiago del Estero ranks 23 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Salta | 4.3% |
| 19 | Jujuy | 3.4% |
| 20 | San Juan | 3.2% |
| 21 | Neuquen | 3.2% |
| 22 | San Luis | 2.6% |
| 23 | Santiago del Estero | 0.9% |
| 24 | Rio Negro | 0.7% |
More on Santiago del Estero: 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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