Venezuelans Are Leaving Chile’s Job Market as President Kast Inherits Labor Decline
SANTIAGO, CHILE — Foreign unemployment in Chile fell to 6.8% in June–August, down 1.3 points from a year earlier and below the national rate of 9.6%.
Analysts say the drop reflects a shrinking Venezuelan workforce, not a healthier job market, as the Venezuelan labor force fell by about 57,000 people (roughly 8.1%) and the exits are concentrated among men aged 25–49 with higher education who have been in Chile under five years. Chile’s job market has been weak for years. INE’s national rate was 8.3% in December–February, the last full quarter of Gabriel Boric’s left-wing government.
President José Antonio Kast took office in March, when the national rate was 8.3% after more than three years above 8% under his predecessor Gabriel Boric, and national unemployment has since risen to 9.6% while formal private salaried jobs fell about 154,000 over the year.
Latin America is Racing to Become Data-Center Hub. Will the Boom Pay Off?
LATAM — Brazil leads Latin America’s data-center race with 218 facilities, ahead of Mexico (66), Chile (65) and Argentina (47), according to Data Center Map figures from August published by Americas Quarterly.
Governments and companies have announced billions in projects, including a $25 billion OpenAI plan in Argentina that is only a letter of intent and a $4.8 billion plan in Querétaro, Mexico.
Economist Eduardo Levy Yeyati calls the industry “extractive” and warns of few jobs, while residents in Querétaro report water rationing and Chilean court documents show Google’s Cerrillos data center could use up to 7 billion liters of water a year.
Can U.S. public reluctance in data-center infrastructure investments translate into a Latin American growth opportunity?
Mexico City Lights Landmarks in Iran’s Colors For “Tehran Day”
CDMX — Mexico City lit the Ángel de la Independencia, the Diana Cazadora, the Monumento a Cuauhtémoc and the Zócalo in green, white and red, the colors of Iran's flag, to mark “Tehran Day.”
Iran’s ambassador, Abolfazl Pasandideh, attended a ceremony at the Ángel where both national anthems were played, and Iran’s embassy thanked the city for the gesture. It came about three weeks after Tehran lit the Azadi Tower in Mexico’s colors for Mexican Independence Day, and as the two governments have drawn closer since the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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