French jobless rate hits highest since Oct 1999

Paris: Jobless rate in France inched up by 0.2 percent in February for the 10th successive month, as tepid economic growth slowed job creation in the eurozone’s second largest economy.

The number of jobless people in France rose for a 10th consecutive month in February to reach its highest level since October 1999, casting a pall over President Nicolas Sarkozy’s re-election prospects.

[caption id=“attachment_256870” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“An OpinionWay survey released on Monday showed that 40 percent of employees believed their job was at risk. Reuters”] [/caption]

In February, France registered 6,200 more unemployed, pulling the country’s total number of job seekers up to 2.86 million, the Labor Ministry said on Monday.

Year on year, the jobless rose by 6.2 percent over the same period last year, reported Xinhua.

Earlier on Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a “moderate rise” in unemployment data which showed “an improvement in the situation with a declining trend in the increase of job seekers”.

“This reflects a significant economic recovery since we tried to solve Greece financial crisis,” Sarkozy told the public broadcaster France info.

Unemployment is a major electoral issue in France and Sarkozy’s government is battling to avert several high-profile industrial closures that would put even more people out of work. The companies his government is trying to help include ferry operator SeaFrance, lingerie producer Lejaby and refineries owned by Switzerland’s Petrolplus.

An OpinionWay survey released on Monday showed that 40 percent of employees believed their job was at risk. Yet more than two in three people said they thought the presidential election four weeks from now would have no impact on their job situation according to the survey for labour relations publisher Editions Tissot.

Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, who polls predict will win a crucial May 6 electoral runoff, rarely misses a chance to attack Sarkozy over the country’s industrial decline, frequently pointing out that the sector has shed 355,000 jobs during his five years in office.

The plight of the Florange steel mill in eastern France, whose blast furnaces were idled late last year, has come to symbolise the decline.

Agencies