France’s unemployment rate climbed to 8.1% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 7.9% in the previous quarter and exceeding market expectations of 7.8%. This was the highest level since the first quarter of 2021, reflecting an increase of 68,000 in the number of unemployed, to a total of 2.6 million people. The jobless rate was also 0.7 percentage points higher than in the same period a year earlier.
By age group, unemployment among 25–49-year-olds rose to 7.3% from 6.9%, while the rate for those aged 50 and over inched up to 5.2% from 5.1%. In contrast, unemployment among 15–24-year-olds declined slightly, to 21.1% from 21.5%.
By gender, the unemployment rate for men increased to 8.5% from 8.2%, and the rate for women edged up to 7.7% from 7.6%.
