French unemployment rate rises to 8.1%, highest since 2021

PARIS - France's unemployment rate rose to 8.1% in the first quarter of 2026, its highest since 2021, the INSEE statistics agency reported on Wednesday, though it was still lower than its peak in 2015.

The number of unemployed people in France rose by 68,000 from the previous quarter to 2.6 million, INSEE said.

French President Emmanuel Macron, a former investment banker, has brought in numerous reforms in a bid to lower the unemployment rate which had been stubbornly high for decades.

Bank of France chief Francois Villeroy acknowledged the numbers were disappointing but downplayed the concern in an interview with broadcaster franceinfo.

"Around 8% isn't exactly satisfying news," but France had added around 4 million jobs since 2010, Villeroy said.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 11:57 PM.