French unemployment hits six-year high as jobless total reaches 2.7 million

People queue for information at a jobs fair in Saint-Denis just outside Paris. France's national statistics agency reported that the country's unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points in the second quarter to 8.3 percent, its highest level since autumn 2020. AP - Nicolas Garriga

The number of unemployed people in France rose to 2.7 million in the second quarter of 2026, pushing the jobless rate to its highest level in nearly six years, according to the national statistics agency Insee.

France's unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent in the second quarter of 2026, its highest level in nearly six years, according to figures published by the national statistics agency Insee on Friday.