Colombia’s Rural Sector Registers the Highest Level of Employment in May in the Last 7 years

In May 2025, the employed population in Colombia’s rural sector reached 4.8 million people; the highest figure recorded for this month in the last seven years, according to labor market results published by DANE. This represents a growth of 88,591 more people compared to the previous year, which is equivalent to 1.9% more.

This behavior occurs in a context of general improvement in the labor market. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 9%, representing a reduction of 1.3 percentage points from 10.3% in May 2024. In total, 23.6 million people were employed in the country, with a year-on-year increase of 596,741 people.
The agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing branch was key in this performance. In May, this activity employed 3.5 million people, with an increase of 65,798 employed compared to the same month in 2024. With a share of 14.8% of the national total, it remains the second economic activity with the highest number of employed people in Colombia.

Overall, rural labor market indicators show positive signs. In May 2025, 56.3% of the working-age population in the rural sector was employed, an increase of 0.5 percentage points compared to the same month of the previous year. Likewise, the overall participation rate was 60.8%, higher by 0.7 percentage points, which reflects greater dynamism and willingness to participate in the labor market in rural areas.

In May 2025, the rural sector reached 4.8 million employed people; the highest level recorded for the month of May in the last seven years

The quarterly performance reinforces this trend. In the period March-May 2025, the rural unemployment rate was 7.2%, an improvement compared to the 7.6% recorded in the same quarter of 2024. The rural employed population grew by 119,055 (+2.5%), and agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry, and fishing activity increased by 79,320 (+3.1%), representing 54.1% of total employment in rural areas.

Despite employment growth, informality remains the main structural challenge. Between February and April 2025, 84.7% of rural workers were in an informal condition, compared to 49.5% in the municipal capitals. In the specific case of agricultural activity, informality reached 86.3%, this being the economic activity with the highest proportion of informal workers in the country.

“The Colombian countryside is demonstrating its capacity to absorb labor; The challenge now is to improve the quality of employment. We need more formalization, more productive investment, and better working conditions so that the growth of employment translates into rural well-being,” said Dora Inés Rey, director of the UPRA.

Livestock. Photo credit: Leuchtturm81 from Pixabay.