Unemployment in France: A slight decrease in the third quarter of 2026

This slight quarterly decline follows several periods of increase, but fails to erase the progress observed over the year. The number of unemployed individuals has decreased by approximately 47,000, falling from 2.68 million to 2.63 million. However, the rate remains 0.4 percentage points higher than that of the third quarter of 2025, which stood at 7.8%.

It is important to note that these figures are based on a quarterly and statistical survey. INSEE had previously estimated the unemployment rate at 8.3% for the second quarter, after 8.1% in the first, relying on the Employment Survey, now extended to Mayotte and retrofitted to allow for comparisons.

The ILO-defined unemployment rate differs from the number of people registered with France Travail. The former is based on specific criteria regarding job searching and availability, while the latter is an administrative count. These two indicators offer different perspectives on the labor market and are not comparable.

Despite this slight quarterly decrease, it is premature to conclude that there is a significant acceleration in hiring. A flash estimate of private employment, published on October 30th by INSEE, revealed a decrease of 25,800 private jobs between June and September, representing 0.1% of the workforce, and a decrease of 69,800 positions over one year. These figures concern salaried jobs, and not the number of people meeting the ILO unemployment criteria.

Key players in the labor market, such as public employment services, social partners, and training and compensation organizations, are closely monitoring these developments.