Unemployment rate stable at 7.5% in the second quarter, according to INSEE

The unemployment rate in France will stand at 7.5% in the second quarter of 2025, reported the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies ( INSEE ) on Friday, August 8, which also revised the first quarter rate from 7.4% to 7.5%.

The unemployment rate therefore remains "stable," according to the INSEE, which specifies that the number of unemployed people – as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO) – increased by 29,000 over the quarter, to 2.4 million people. The unemployment rate of the French active population thus remains "slightly higher" than its lowest point since 1982, at 7.1%, and 3 points lower than its peak in mid-2015.

This rate only takes into account unemployed people who are looking for work and are immediately available on the labor market. It is calculated based on a survey, and its results differ from statistics on job seekers registered with France Travail.

In the second quarter, the unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24 decreased by 0.2 points compared to the first quarter, but remained high at 19%, up 1.2 points year-on-year. The unemployment rate for seniors aged 50 and over remained stable over the quarter at 4.8% and was 0.2 points lower than in the second quarter of 2024. The unemployment rate for 25-49 year-olds increased by 0.2 points over the quarter and by 0.3 points year-on-year to 6.9%.

The unemployment rate for women is "almost stable" (-0.1 points), at 7.3%, while that for men increased by 0.2 points, to 7.7%.

The unemployment halo, made up of people who want a job but are not looking for one or are not immediately available, reached 1.9 million people, or 4.4% of the population aged 15-64. It increased slightly over the quarter, by 21,000 people, but decreased by 51,000 people over the year.

Finally, the employment rate continued to increase, albeit very slightly, in the second quarter, reaching 69.6%, its highest level since INSEE began measuring it in 1975. It is 0.5 points above its level in the second quarter of 2024.