Costa Rica Unemployment Rises to 6.7% as Finance Jobs Fall by 19,000
COSTA RICA · JOBS
Key Facts
- —The country Costa Rica is a Central American country of about 5 million people. Its economy runs on services, tourism and foreign-owned factories, and about 2.2 million people work.
- —The background Unemployment fell steadily after the pandemic, from 18.7% in early 2021 to a low of 5.7% in July–September 2025, according to the statistics institute INEC.
- —Why now INEC published its continuous employment survey for June to August 2026 on 1 October. The news site CRHoy called it the first rise of its kind in years.
- —What happened Unemployment rose to 6.7% from 6.0% a year earlier. The number of unemployed people grew by about 20,000, to 157,000, a change INEC rates as statistically significant.
- —The numbers Finance and insurance lost 19,000 jobs over the year. Commerce added 48,000, education and health 34,000, and transport and storage 23,000.
- —What it means for you Total employment, 2.19 million, did not change significantly. The rise in joblessness came mainly among men, whose rate climbed one point to 6.4%.
- —Still open Why finance and insurance shed so many jobs. INEC’s release gives the numbers, not the causes.
Costa Rica unemployment rose to 6.7% in the three months from June to August 2026, up from 6.0% a year earlier. The number of people out of work and looking for it grew by about 20,000, to 157,000.
The figures come from the continuous employment survey of the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), published on 1 October. The biggest single job loss was in finance and insurance, down 19,000 over the year.
What the survey shows
Costa Rica’s labour force, the people working or looking for work, stood at 2.34 million. Of those, 2.19 million had jobs, a figure INEC says did not change significantly from a year earlier.
Unemployment counts people who looked for work but found none. INEC put that group at 157,000, against 137,497 a year earlier, La Nación reported from the institute’s data.
The survey is based on a sample of households, so small movements can fall within its margin of error. That is why INEC marks which changes are statistically significant.
INEC flags the 20,000 increase as statistically significant. For the rate itself, it marks only the rise among men as significant, from 5.4% to 6.4%.
Of the 157,000 jobless, 92,000 are men and 65,000 women. The women’s rate, at 7.3%, is still higher than the men’s, but it barely moved from 6.9% a year earlier.
Where jobs were lost and gained
Finance and insurance employment fell by 19,000 over the year, the only sector with a significant national decline. Among men alone, communication and other services lost 26,000 jobs.
Other sectors hired. Commerce and repair added 48,000 workers, education and health 34,000, and transport and storage 23,000.
Commerce remains the largest employer, with 395,000 people, or 18.1% of all workers. Education and health follow with 277,000, then professional and administrative services with 212,000.
One early press report also listed manufacturing among the sectors losing jobs. INEC’s own release does not report a significant change in manufacturing employment.
The long view
The latest figure is not high by Costa Rica’s recent standards. The rate for the same June–August period was 8.8% in 2023 and 6.7% in 2024, INEC’s series shows.
After peaking at 18.7% in early 2021, during the pandemic, unemployment fell, with interruptions, until 2025. It touched 5.7% in July–September 2025, rose to 7.1% in January–March 2026 and has eased since.
Participation has not recovered: 54.4% of people aged 15 and over work or seek work, barely above 54.0% a year earlier. In June–August 2024 it was 57.2%.
Men are far more likely to be in the labour market: 66.9% of them work or seek work, against 41.9% of women. Underemployment, people working fewer hours than they want, was 3.2%, little changed.
Another 1.96 million adults are outside the labour force. Most cite age or retirement, family duties, or study; only about 6,000 say they have given up looking.
Informal work, largely jobs without social security coverage, accounts for 790,000 people, or 36.1% of the employed. About one wage earner in ten, 166,000 people, works remotely.
The jobs data arrive alongside mixed signals elsewhere in the economy. Foreign direct investment rose 23.4% in the first half, The Rio Times reported, led by companies in free-trade zones.
What comes next
INEC publishes the survey every month as a rolling three-month average. The next release, for July to September, will show whether the rise in joblessness holds or fades.
One quarter’s data do not mean Costa Rica is entering a jobs crisis: total employment is stable and several sectors are hiring. The warning sign is narrower, a sharp loss of finance jobs and more men out of work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Costa Rica’s unemployment rate?
It was 6.7% in June–August 2026, according to INEC, the national statistics institute. A year earlier it was 6.0%.
How many people are unemployed in Costa Rica?
About 157,000 people, of whom 92,000 are men and 65,000 women. That is roughly 20,000 more than a year earlier.
Which sectors lost jobs?
Finance and insurance lost 19,000 jobs over the year, the only significant national decline. Commerce, education and health, and transport added jobs.
Is Costa Rica’s job market getting worse?
Partly. Unemployment is up from a year ago, but total employment has not changed significantly. The rate is also below its 2023 level of 8.8%.
Sources: INEC, Encuesta Continua de Empleo, June–August 2026, summary of results (press release), 1 October 2026, INEC, Encuesta Continua de Empleo, June–August 2025 (press release), 2 October 2025, Diario Extra, more than 20,000 additional unemployed, 1 October 2026, La Nación, unemployed population rises by almost 20,000, 1 October 2026, CRHoy, unemployed up by 20,000, 1 October 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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