France Jobseekers Rises to Highest Level in Over a Year

France’s registered unemployment rose by 21,500 to 3,143 thousand in July 2026, following a 5,900 increase in June and reaching its highest level since March 2025. The increase was led by unemployed people aged 25 to 49, whose number rose by 17,000 to 1,829 thousand, its highest level since November 2021. Overall unemployment among people aged over 25 increased by 4,300 to 513.7 thousand, while unemployment among those aged over 50 edged up by 200 to 800 thousand. By gender, unemployment increased for both women and men, rising by 10,300 and 11,200, respectively.

France's registered unemployment rose by 5,900 to 3,121.5 thousand in June 2026, slowing from a 15,500 increase in May. The monthly increase was driven primarily by older job seekers, with the number of unemployed individuals aged 50 and over climbing by 5,400 to 779,800. Meanwhile, unemployment among those under 25 rose by 1,500 to 509,400, while the number of job seekers aged 25 to 49 declined by 1,000 to 1.812 million. By gender, registered unemployment among men increased by 7,400 to 1.622 million, more than offsetting a decline of 1,500 among women, whose total fell to 1.500 million.

France's registered unemployment rose by 15,500 in May 2026 to 3,116 thousand people, reversing a decline of 9,000 in April. The increase was driven entirely by individuals aged 25 to 49, whose number of registered job seekers rose by 15,500 to 1,813 thousand. Meanwhile, unemployment among those under 25 increased by 3,300, but this was fully offset by an equivalent decline among people aged 50 and over. As a result, the number of registered unemployed stood at 508 thousand for those under 25 and 794 thousand for those aged 50 and above.