A snapshot of the labour market in 2016 Unemployment falls 0.3 points year-on-year

In France in 2016, 29.2 million people in the 15 to 64 age group (i.e. 71.4%) are economically active, as defined by the International Labour Organisation.

26.2 million are in employment. Three quarters of this occupied labour force work in the service sector, and almost nine out of ten are wage earners. Permanent employment remains prevalent among wage earners (85.3%). However, it is in the minority (44%) among 15 to 24-year olds who have entered the labour market more recently and are less qualified than their generation as a whole, the most highly qualified still being in education. 6.5% of the occupied labour force is under-employed. The vast majority of those affected are women, and especially unskilled workers.

Three million workers are unemployed, i.e. 79,000 fewer than in 2015; meanwhile, the number of people in the unemployment “halo” has increased by 44,000. The unemployment rate in France stands at 10.1%, down 0.3 points year-on-year. Since 2013, unemployment has been higher among men than among women. Although more frequent among young workers, unemployment lasts longer among older workers: Six out of ten jobseekers aged 50 or over have been unemployed for at least a year.

Among those unemployed on a given date, 20.3% secure employment within three months. Compared with older people, young people lose their jobs more often from one quarter to the next but, when out of work, obtain employment more frequently.