A snapshot of the labour market in 2011

In 2011, 25.8 million people in France were employed and 2.6 million were unemployed under the ILO definition. Out of ten people at work, one was self-employed, five were manual or clerical workers, and four were managers, professionals, or in intermediate occupations. Among persons in employment, 5.1% were underemployed, a situation more common among young people, clerical workers, and women. After rising since 2008, unemployment eased slightly between 2010 and 2011. This improvement particularly benefited young people, whose situation had substantially worsened in recent years. By contrast, unemployment has increased continuously since 2008 in the oldest age groups, among whom a steadily rising proportion of individuals is staying in the labour force.