The number of people registered as unemployed in mainland France surged by 204.8 thousand from the previous month to 3.162 million in February of 2025. It was the sharpest increase on record when excluding the shock from the pandemic in 2020, lifting unemployment levels to their highest since 2021, underscoring the impact that Europe’s slowing economy is having in the French labor market. The rise was most pronounced for those aged below 25 (150 thousand to 574 thousand), followed by core aged individuals (43 thousand to 1.773 million), and those aged 50 years old or higher (11.7 thousand to 815.4 thousand). source: DARES, France

The number of unemployed persons in France increased to 3162 Thousand in January of 2025 from 2957 Thousand in December of 2024. Unemployed Persons in France averaged 2935.18 Thousand from 1996 until 2025, reaching an all time high of 4295.80 Thousand in April of 2020 and a record low of 1982.20 Thousand in February of 2008. This page provides the latest reported value for - Unemployed Persons - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. France Unemployed Persons - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on March of 2025.

The number of unemployed persons in France increased to 3162 Thousand in January of 2025 from 2957 Thousand in December of 2024. Unemployed Persons in France is expected to be 3040.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the France Unemployed Persons is projected to trend around 3380.00 Thousand in 2026 and 3150.00 Thousand in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2025-01-27 11:00 AM
Jobseekers Total
Dec 2957K 2935K 2875K
2025-02-27 11:00 AM
Jobseekers Total
Jan 3162K 2957K 2972K
2025-03-26 11:00 AM
Jobseekers Total
Feb 3162K 3227K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Unemployment Benefit Claims 204.80 21.80 Thousand Jan 2025
Job Vacancies 280.10 221.70 Thousand Jan 2025
Jobseekers Total 3162.00 2957.00 Thousand Jan 2025
Wage Growth 2.80 2.70 percent Dec 2024

France Unemployed Persons
The jobseekers total in France refers to the registered number of unemployed at the end of the month at employment center which are obliged to actively seek a job.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
3162.00 2957.00 4295.80 1982.20 1996 - 2025 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA


News Stream
French Unemployment Rises the Most Since 2020
The number of people registered as unemployed in mainland France surged by 204.8 thousand from the previous month to 3.162 million in February of 2025. It was the sharpest increase on record when excluding the shock from the pandemic in 2020, lifting unemployment levels to their highest since 2021, underscoring the impact that Europe’s slowing economy is having in the French labor market. The rise was most pronounced for those aged below 25 (150 thousand to 574 thousand), followed by core aged individuals (43 thousand to 1.773 million), and those aged 50 years old or higher (11.7 thousand to 815.4 thousand).
2025-02-27
French Unemployment Rises to Over 2-½-Year High
The number of people registered as unemployed in Mainland France increased by 21.8 thousand to 2.957 million in December 2024. This marked the fourth consecutive rise in jobseekers, reaching the highest level since March 2022. The increase further challenged the view that the French labor market had remained resilient to the ECB's higher interest rates, aligning with the current dovish stance of the central bank. The rise was most pronounced among the core-aged population (+18.2 thousand to 1.729 million), followed by those aged above 50 years (+2.1 thousand to 803.7 million), and those aged under 25 years (+1.5 thousand to 423.7 million).
2025-01-27
French Unemployment At Over 2-Year High
The number of people registered as out of work in mainland France increased by 43.5 thousand to 2.935 million in November 2024, marking the sharpest rise since the pandemic-induced surge in April 2020 and the highest level since August 2022. The rise in unemployment was the most pronounced among the core-aged population (26.6 thousand to 1.711 million), followed by those aged under 25 years (14.7 thousand to 422 thousand) and those aged above 50 years (2.2 thousand to 802 thousand).
2024-12-26