Chile Bets Nearly 10,000 Jobs on Wildfire Prevention: What It Means for the Economy

A man removes gas cylinders in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that ravaged the area in Punta de Parra, near Concepcion, Chile, on January 21, 2026. Police in south-central Chile have arrested a man on suspicion of starting one of the recent wildfires that killed 20 people and razed entire neighborhoods, the government said on January 21. (Credit: Photo by Raul BRAVO / AFP via Getty Images)

Chile will open 9,480 temporary jobs between October and December 2026 to build firebreaks and clear flammable vegetation before summer, a wildfire-prevention labor push stretching from the Atacama Desert to the lakes of Los Lagos.

The Employment Program for the Prevention and Mitigation of Forest Fires, presented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the national forestry corporation CONAF, pairs an urgent safety mission with an equally urgent economic one: putting thousands of Chileans to work during the country's traditionally slow final quarter.