French unemployment hits new record high but rise slows
Unemployment in France hit a new record high in September, although President François Hollande was anxious to point out that the rate of increase has slowed down.
Issued on:
Figures released by the labour ministry on Thursday showed that another 60,000 people officially registered as unemployed last month, increasing the total by 1.9 per cent, to
3,295,700.
But the real rise was not that high because a computer glitch in August that slashed thousands off the figures, even though they remained without jobs.
Averaging out the number of job seekers since July, the increase was 5,000 a month, a much lower rate than the 30,000 a month in the first quarter, Labour Minister Michel Sapin said in a statement.
Speaking on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, Hollande said there was an "obvious slowing-down" in the rise of joblessness but admitted that the upward trend has yet to be reversed.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe