SANTO DOMINGO– In January-March 2026, the total number of employed individuals reached 5,236,178, representing a year-on-year increase of 118,631 net new jobs. The open unemployment rate (SU1), that is, the percentage of unemployed individuals actively seeking work as a proportion of the labor force, stood at 5.0% in January-March 2026, similar to the average recorded in 2025.
According to data from the Dominican Republic's National Continuous Labor Force Survey (ENCFT), as of the first quarter of 2026, the total number of employed individuals in the Dominican economy reached 5,236,178 workers, of which 2,403,395 held formal jobs. This figure for formal employment is consistent with the total reflected in the administrative records of the Social Security Treasury (TSS).
The data indicates that when comparing the total number of workers in January-March 2026 with the same period in 2025, there was a year-on-year increase of 2.3%, equivalent to 118,631 net new jobs. With this result for January-March 2026, the employment rate (ER) and the overall participation rate (OPR) stood at 63.0% and 66.3%, respectively, both very close to their highest values in the series, levels that reflect high employment and relative participation in the labor market within the region.
In terms of the composition of job creation, it is observed that, of the year-on-year increase of 118,631 net jobs in the last twelve months, formal employment contributed 20,504 workers (17.3%), while informal workers contributed an additional 98,127 jobs (82.7%). Thus, the overall informality rate stood at 54.1% in the first quarter of 2026. It is worth noting that the proportion of informal employment in the economy remains similar to the 2025 average and continues to be below the historical average of 56.7% recorded in the ENCFT series since 2014.
From a demographic perspective, the total of 5,236,178 employed individuals is distributed as follows:6.1% men and 43.9% women. It is worth noting that female employment has increased in the last 12 months, largely accounting for the creation of new jobs with an additional 157,078 women employed during that period.
Regarding indicators of unemployment or underutilization of the workforce, the open unemployment rate (SU1), that is, the percentage of unemployed people who are actively seeking employment as a proportion of the labor force, stood at 5.0% in January-March 2026, remaining around the average recorded in 2025.
Meanwhile, the labor force underutilization rate (SU3), an indicator equivalent to the previously called expanded unemployment rate, which includes both unemployed people who are actively seeking employment and those available to work, even if they are not looking, stood at 8.8% in January-March 2026, showing a decrease of 0.5 percentage points compared to the 9.3% recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Meanwhile, the inactive population, made up of those of working age who are neither employed nor actively seeking work, such as those with family responsibilities or household chores, students, and people with permanent or temporary health conditions, among others, stood at 2,802,339 people in the first quarter of 2026, for an inactivity rate of 33.7%, lower by 0.3 percentage points compared to the 34.0% recorded in the January-March quarter of 2025.
Finally, the labor market results for the first quarter of 2026 show unemployment rates that remain relatively low compared to the historical series of the ENCFT, despite the turbulent and complex international environment with high levels of uncertainty caused by the conflict in the Middle East, which has impacted transportation and commodity prices, including oil, and has affected countries in a generalized way, moderating global economic growth.
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