Overview

• Category A job seekers, representing those unemployed and actively seeking work, rose to 3.408 million in Q1 2025, an 8.7% increase from the previous quarter and a 12.8% rise year-on-year.
• Total job seeker registrations, including Categories B and C, reached 5.738 million in Q1 2025, marking a 4.5% quarterly increase.
• Changes to registration and actualisation rules under France Travail, implemented in January 2025, significantly contributed to the rise in reported unemployment figures.
• Excluding the impact of administrative reforms, the underlying increase in job seekers is limited to 0.8% for Category A and 1.3% overall, according to the Ministry of Labour.
• Economic uncertainty and reduced hiring intentions, particularly among small and medium enterprises, are projected to push France's unemployment rate to 7.6% by mid-2025, per Insee forecasts.