France Unemployment Hits Seven-Month High

The number of people registered as unemployed in France dropped by 11.9 thousand in December of 2025 to 3.117 million, the lowest in three months. Unemployment fell by 12.4 thousand from the previous month to 505 thousand for the population with less than 25 years of age, while it inched lower by 700 individuals to 808 thousand for the population above 50 years. In turn, unemployment grew by 1.2 thousand to 1.814 million for the core aged population.

The number of people registered as unemployed in mainland France declined by 21.5 thousand in November 2025 to 3.129 million, down from October’s seven-month high of 3.151 million. By age group, unemployment among those under 25 fell by 15.7 thousand to 0.517 million, while joblessness for individuals aged 50 and over dropped by 7.1 thousand to 0.809 million. Conversely, unemployment for those aged 25 to 49 rose slightly by 1.3 thousand to 1.803 million. On a year-on-year basis, the total number of registered unemployed increased by 197.3 thousand compared to November 2024.

The number of registered unemployed in mainland France rose by 68.8 thousand to 3.151 million in October 2025, the highest level since March 2025. The monthly increase was broad-based, including the core-aged population (+43.7 thousand to 1.802 million), those aged over 50 (+17.9 thousand to 816.1 thousand), and those under 25 (+7.2 thousand to 532.9 thousand). On a year-on-year basis, registered unemployment climbed by 257.9 thousand.