The labour scenario in Latin America and the Caribbean worsened in 2016. The economic deceleration experienced in the region since 2011 became a contraction of the economy as of 2016, with a significant impact this year on labour markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. For the second year in a row, the average unemployment rate increased, from 6.6% in 2015 to 8.1% in 2016. This level of unemployment had not been seen since the beginning of the last decade and means that there are roughly 25 million unemployed people in the region (approximately 5 million more than in 2015).