Job Market Continues to Decline in Argentina Under Milei: 14 Consecutive Months of Job Losses Exceeding 266,000 Positions

Original article: El empleo no levanta cabeza en la Argentina de Milei: 14 meses consecutivos de caída y casi 266 mil puestos de trabajo menos

Under the administration of Javier Milei, registered employment in the private sector of Argentina has experienced 14 consecutive months of decline, leading to a loss of 266,000 jobs.

Official data from the Argentine Integrated Pension System (SIPA) indicates that in July, 12,716 jobs were lost compared to June, reflecting a contraction of 0.2%. This negative trend has persisted uninterrupted for over a year, creating a critical situation for the formal labor market.

The industry, construction, and commerce sectors have seen the highest losses in jobs due to the erosion of purchasing power and a decrease in domestic consumption in the southern nation under the so-called «libertarian» administration. These three sectors account for a significant portion of job losses and illustrate the overall deterioration of formal private employment. The decline in internal consumption has particularly impacted activities reliant on household demand, creating a vicious cycle resulting in fewer hires and more layoffs.

Nearly 266,000 Jobs Lost During Milei’s Presidency

The total number of formal jobs has dropped to 6,106,800 employees, the lowest level seen in the past 52 months, which represents a decrease of 0.2% from the total. Statistics show that since November 2023, a total of 265,765 formal jobs in the private sector have been lost, highlighting the severity of the labor crisis faced by Argentina following Milei’s rise to power.

Throughout 2026, 134,034 jobs were eliminated (-2.2%), while the public sector saw a recovery of 4,723 jobs (+0.1%), and compared to July 2025, 22,681 jobs were lost (-0.7%). Regarding positions in private households, there was an increase of 2,159 jobs (+0.5%) following a monthly decrease of 1,092 in June.

Analysis explains the July decline, stating that «the sectors with improvements created 644 jobs during the month, but the sectors with decreases lost 13,358 jobs, resulting in a final balance of -12,716 jobs compared to the previous month,» as reported by DataClave.

Examining the developments since Milei took office in late 2023, official data confirms that «there are eleven sectors that show declines and only three showing improvements.»

In the breakdown by economic activity during July, only three sectors recorded monthly increases: Mining and Quarrying (+0.4% and 344 jobs), Fishing (+0.1% and 18 jobs), and Electricity, Gas and Water (+0.1% and 76 jobs).

In contrast, the greatest losses for the month occurred in Construction (-0.6% and 2,178 jobs), Financial Intermediation (-0.4% and 574 jobs), Commerce (-0.3% and 1,675 jobs), and Manufacturing Industry (-0.3% and 2,832 jobs).

In the accumulated figures compared to November 2023, the largest losses are concentrated in Manufacturing Industry (-7.6% with -90,924 jobs), Mining and Quarrying (-7.6% with -7,220 jobs), and Construction (-14.5% and -64,083 jobs).