France’s Unemployment Rate Increased to 7.4% in Early 2025

France’s unemployment rate edged up at the start of the year, adding to signs of sluggishness in the euro area’s second largest economy even before threats of US trade tariffs further clouded the outlook

The jobless rate rose to 7.4% in the first quarter from 7.3% at the end of 2024, in line with the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey. Still, the share of people out of work is far below the previous peak of more than 10% a decade ago.

French gross domestic product expanded only 0.1% in the first three months of the year amid ...