France Unemployment Edges Up as Anticipated

The unemployment rate in France rose slightly to 7.7% in Q3 2025, in line with market expectations and up from 7.6% in the previous quarter. This marks the highest level since Q3 2021, as the number of unemployed increased by 44 thousand to 2.4 million, bringing the rate 0.3 points higher than a year earlier but still 2.8 points below its 2015 peak. By age, unemployment among those aged 15–24 fell 0.2 points to 18.8%, while it rose 0.2 points to 7.1% for those aged 25–49 and 0.3 points to 5.1% for those aged 50 and over. By gender, female unemployment climbed 0.3 points to 7.7%, matching the male rate. The employment rate for people aged 15–64 slipped 0.1 points to 69.4%, near a record high. The full-time employment rate remained stable at 57.6%, while part-time employment held at 11.8%. The activity rate came at 75.2%, 2.4 points above its end-2019 level. Long-term unemployment and underemployment remained stable at 1.8% and 4.4%, respectively.

The unemployment rate in France was unchanged at 7.5% in Q2 2025, in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed rose by 29 thousand to 2.4 million. By age, the rate for those aged 15–24 fell 0.2 points to 19% but was 1.2 points higher than a year ago. Among those aged 25–49, it declined 0.2 points to 6.9%, though up 0.3 points year-on-year. For those aged 50 and over, the rate held steady at 4.7%, down 0.2 points from last year. By gender, female unemployment fell 0.1 points to 7.3%, while the male rate rose 0.2 points to 7.7%. Meanwhile, the employment rate for those aged 15–64 edged up 0.1 point to 69.6%, the highest since records began in 1975 and 0.5 points above last year. Full-time employment held at 57.8%, while part-time rose 0.2 points to 11.8%. Part-time’s share in total employment rose slightly to 17.7%, still 1.1 points below its end-2019 level. Labor force participation increased to 75.3%, up from 75.1% in Q1.

The unemployment rate in France edged up to 7.4% in the first quarter of 2025 from 7.3% in the previous period, in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed persons rose by 64 thousand from a month earlier to reach 2.4 million. By age group, the jobless rate for those aged 15 to 24 was virtually unchanged (+0.1 percentage point) at 19.2%, remaining 1.1 points higher than a year ago. For individuals aged 25 to 49, the rate was stable at 6.7%, up 0.1 point over the quarter and down 0.1 point year-on-year. Among those aged 50 and over, the unemployment rate held steady at 4.7%, which is 0.3 points lower than the same period last year. By gender, the jobless rate for women increased by 0.3 points to 7.4%, matching the male unemployment rate, which was nearly unchanged (-0.1 point). Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate rose to 75.1%, up from 74.6% in the previous quarter.