The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) has revealed a figure that marks a milestone in the country’s economy: in November 2025, the Unemployment Rate was 7.0%, the lowest figure since records have been recorded in the national historical series. However, 55.4% of the employed are in the informal sector.

This result represents a significant drop of 1.1 percentage points compared to November of the previous year (8.2%). In real terms, this means that 993 thousand more people found employment in the last year, raising the employed population to record levels.

The countryside and tourism drive the economy

Employment growth was not uniform. The rural sector was the main protagonist with a 6.2% increase in occupancy. By branches of activity, the sectors that hired the most were:

Agriculture and Fishing: +312 thousand new jobs.

Accommodation and Food Services: +247 thousand employees.

Construction: +184 thousand employees.

In contrast, the Manufacturing Industry was the only sector with a negative balance, registering 102 thousand fewer jobs.

Gender gap

One of the relevant data is the reduction of labor inequality. The gender gap stood at 3.5 percentage points, the lowest in history. While unemployment for men was 5.5%, for women it was 9.1%, figures that have improved substantially compared to previous years.

How did the cities fare?

The report for the September-November quarter shows contrasting realities in the regions:

The cities with the least unemployment: Villavicencio (6.8%), Bogotá DC (7.0%) and Manizales (7.2%).

The hardest hit cities: Quibdó (21.8%), Cartagena (12.6%) and Riohacha (11.7%).

For its part, labor informality remains a structural challenge, standing at 55.4% at the national level. Regarding young people, the unemployment rate fell to 14.0%, highlighting Bogotá as the city with the best opportunities for this segment.

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