France's July jobless claims down 0.5 pct

At the end of July, unemployment in France declined by 0.5 percent from June and recorded a year-on-year fall of 1.2 percent, the country's labor ministry reported Wednesday.

The news offers a glimmer of hope to French President Francois Hollande who bet on lowering the jobless trend to seek a second mandate.

Last month, 19,100 people were reported as being without job, putting the total number of jobless at 3.51 million compared to June data.

"Unemployment has begun to fall since the beginning of the year ... The trend (to reverse joblessness) is here," Hollande said during a visit to businesses in west central France.

During his four-year governing period, the Socialist Party head of state unveiled different labor programs including state-sponsored jobs for youth, lower charges for enterprises to incite recruitment and the latest controversial labor code reform which triggered violent street protests and has shaken the Socialist ruling camp.

Cornered by falling public support, Hollande set reversing the joblessness trend as a condition to extend his stay at the Elysee Palace. He said he would decide at the end of this year whether to stand for re-election in 2017. Endit