French unemployment rate reaches four-year low in Q2

The unemployment rate in France reported a decrease of 0.3 percentage points to 9.6 percent during the second quarter of 2016 compared to a quarter earlier, the lowest level since 2012, the national statistical authority Insee said on Thursday.

With overseas departments taken into account, the quarterly jobless rate stood at 9.9 percent down from 10.2 percent in the first three months of the year.

According to Insee, 2.8 million people were reported jobless in mainland France over the period. On yearly basis, unemployment fell by 0.5 percent.

"The unemployment rate decreased across all age groups, particularly among youths," the statistics agency said.

From April-June, the jobless rate of young people aged from 15 to 24 was at 23.7 percent, down by 0.4 percent with 643,000 seeking for a job.

Over the period, unemployment was 10 percent for men and 9.3 percent for women, down by 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent respectively.

French President Francois Hollande pledged to stimulate job creation through state subsidies, a responsibility pact based on lowering labor charges and by easing labor rules to encourage recruitment of young people.

The Socialist leader said he would decide at the end of this year whether to stand for re-election in 2017. Endit