Colombia February urban jobless rate 11.9pc, national 10.8pc

BOGOTA: Colombia's urban jobless rate rose to 11.9 percent in February from 11 percent in the same period last year, based on surveys in the 13 biggest cities, the government said on Wednesday.

The national unemployment rate rose to 10.8 percent from 10.5 percent in the same month last year, the DANE statistics agency said.

Colombia's urban rate is more closely watched by financial markets than the national figure because nearly 70 percent of the country's workforce is in large cities.

The jobless figures are not seasonally adjusted and can be volatile, depending on factors such as peak shopping periods and vacation months when retail and tourism employment generally rises.