FX.co ★ France Jobless Rate Climbs to Four-Year High

The unemployment rate in France rose to 7.9% in Q4 2025, above expectations of 7.8% and up from 7.7% in the previous quarter. This is the highest level since Q3 2021, as the number of unemployed increased by 56,000 to 2.5 million. The rate is 0.6 percentage points higher than a year earlier, though still 2.6 points below its 2015 peak.

By age group, unemployment among 15–24-year-olds jumped 2.4 points to 21.5%. For those aged 15–29, it increased by 0.5 points to 16.0%. In contrast, unemployment among 25–49-year-olds edged down 0.2 points to 6.9%, while it remained unchanged at 5.1% for those aged 50 and over.

By gender, female unemployment slipped by 0.1 points to 7.6%, whereas male unemployment rose 0.4 points to 8.1%.

The employment rate for people aged 15–64 was stable at 69.4%, close to its record high. The full-time employment rate was unchanged at 57.5%, while part-time employment inched up to 11.8%. The activity rate reached 75.4%, the highest level since the beginning of the series.