French unemployment levels off, opposition still critical

France's Socialist government claimed that unemployment is levelling out as monthly figures showed a rise of 1,600 in March, after a sharp rise in February. Opposition politicians called for more changes to the labour market.

French Labour Minister François Rebsamen AFP/Bertrand Guay

Unemployment as recorded by the employment service hit a new high in March after February's record with 3.34 million people registered as unemployed.

But the 1,600 rise was less than some had feared, leading the government to declare that the figures are "stabilising", a judgement echoed by the media.

The figures are the first to be released since French president François Hollande appointed Manuel Valls prime minister in a cabinet reshuffle.

Ministers were far from exultant but claimed that the jobs situation is improving.

“This is not a cry of victory, it’s an expression of results that are a step in the right direction,” government spokesperson Stéphane Le Foll told RTL radio on Friday, describing to a 0.8 per cent fall in youth unemployment, meaning a 2.6 per cent drop in a year, as “encouraging”.

But unemployment among the over-50s continued to rise, up 1.0 per cent last month , 11.8 per cent in a year, and Le Foll declared it a “priority”.

Mainstream right leader Jean-François Copé called for a major reform of the labour market after the figures were announced, naming the 35-hour working week and alleged labour market rigidity as principle targets.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said the figures were evidence of the “failure of the Socialist government”.

To the Socialists’ left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s Left Party blamed the government’s “austerity policies” that “depress” economic activity and a growing share of wealth going to profits “at the expense of labour”.