Unemployment shifts across Uruguay’s border regions with Argentina and Brazil

Unemployment moved in different directions across Uruguay’s departments bordering Argentina and Brazil during the May-July 2026 quarter, according to figures released by the National Statistics Institute.

In the departments connected to Argentina by land crossings, unemployment fell in Paysandú from 10.3% to 8.5% compared with the same period in 2025. Salto’s rate stayed at 7.3%, while Río Negro’s increased from 9.9% to 10.1%.

The pattern was similarly mixed along the Brazilian border. Unemployment rose in Artigas, from 8.6% to 11.4%, and in Rivera, from 5.1% to 5.5%. It fell in Cerro Largo, from 3.4% to 2.7%, while Rocha recorded a slight increase from 8% to 8.1%.

Maldonado, home to Punta del Este, had the country’s highest employment rate for the quarter, at 65.6%. Soriano followed with 64.9%, and Florida with 63.1%. Artigas recorded the highest unemployment rate, followed by Treinta y Tres at 10.2% and Río Negro at 10.1%.

In the two most populous departments, employment stood at 60.7% in Montevideo and 58.5% in Canelones. Their unemployment rates were 7.3% and 7.4%, respectively. Together, the departments account for just over 1.9 million people, almost 55% of Uruguay’s population, according to the latest census.