French Unemployment Falls Most Since April 2025

France’s registered unemployment declined by 61,300 to 3,081.7 thousand in August 2026, marking the largest decline since April 2025, following a 21,500 increase in July. Unemployment benefit claims declined across all age groups, with the sharpest decrease among those aged 25 to 49, at 38,200, followed by those aged over 50, at 13,900. Claims among those aged under 25 declined 9,200. Meanwhile, unemployment among women fell by 32,000, while claims among men declined by 29,300.

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. Unemployment among people aged under 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.