The economic crisis is beginning to hit Colombia, as unemployment
rates have grown from 9.9 percent to 10.6 percent in 2008, leaving
another 182.000 persons without work.
Numbers from the National Statistics Department (DANE) reveal that the three major cities, Bogotá, Medellín and Cali have a slightly lower unemployment rate at 10.2 percent.
At the moment, 2.099.000 Colombians are unable to find a job, against 17.685.000 that do have work.
Unemployment is a very serious problem in Ibagué, the capital of Tolima, where no less than 17.7 percent of the population is without a job. Bucaramanga shows the best numbers of the country, at 7.6 percent.
The issue leaves many families without a main source of income as on a national level, the percentage of unemployed heads of household increased from 4.6 to 5.2 percent.
The Colombian economy in general is experiencing problems. While 2007 showed an increase of 7.7 percent, the economy is expected to drop about two percent this year.