FX.co ★ Uruguay Jobless Rate Rises in August

Uruguay’s unemployment rate inched up to 7.2% in August 2026 from 7.0% in July, the first increase since May. Regionally, Montevideo posted a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the country, at 7.3% versus 7.1%. The gender gap remained pronounced: unemployment among women stood at 8.8%, compared with 5.7% for men. Joblessness also varied sharply by age, reaching 23.4% among young people aged 14 to 24, the group facing the greatest challenges in entering the labor market—a pattern broadly consistent with that seen in July. In terms of employment quality, both underemployment (9.1%) and the share of workers without social security registration (20.8%) stayed at levels similar to those of the previous month.