Joblessness rises to 7.9% in Q4 2025 as youth unemployment spikes, while workforce participation reaches record levels
France’s labour market showed signs of strain at the end of 2025, with unemployment rising to its highest level in more than four years, official data from the French government revealed.
In the fourth quarter, the unemployment rate reached 7.9 per cent, up from 7.7% in the previous quarter and 0.6 percentage points higher than a year ago. This increase pushed the number of jobless in metropolitan France to 2.5 million, representing a rise of 56,000 over three months. Despite this increase, the current rate remains well below the highs seen in mid-2015.
Young people feel the impact most
The latest figures show younger workers facing the brunt of job losses. Among those aged 15–24, unemployment surged 2.4 points to 21.5 per cent, while the broader 15–29 age group saw a smaller rise to 16 per cent. Workers in the prime age group (25–49) experienced a slight improvement, with joblessness dipping to 6.9 per cent, and the rate for those aged 50 and above remained stable at 5.1 per cent.
Gender trends also shifted modestly. Female unemployment fell to 7.6 per cent, narrowing the gap with male unemployment, which increased to 8.1 per cent.
Robust employment and record participation
Despite rising unemployment, other indicators suggest that the labour market retains resilience. The overall employment rate for people aged 15–64 remained near historic highs at 69.4 per cent, with full-time employment steady at 57.5 per cent and part-time jobs rising to 11.8 per cent.
The activity rate, which counts both those employed and those actively seeking work, reached a record 75.4 per cent, highlighting unprecedented levels of workforce engagement. Analysts say this indicates that while unemployment is rising, more people are participating in the labour market than ever before.
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