Unemployment is rising again in February to …
Unemployment is rising again in February to 3.59 million job seekers without any activity, an increase of 1.1% in a month: a cold shower for the government after the sharp fall recorded the previous month .
Irony of the calendar, these numbers fall on the day of the presentation by the Council of Ministers of Labour Bill, a reform that the present Executive as a response to mass unemployment.
In February, the number of job seekers without work rose sharply, with 38,400 new subscribers in France.
This sharp increase largely erases a significant drop recorded in January registered by employment center: 27,900 people less than the end of December 2015. But the statistics service had referred to “unusual and unexplained” events that made interpretation difficult fall .
The jump recorded in February, the highest since September 2013, was due “largely” by passing into Class A (no activity) of persons registered in categories B and C (activity) “previous month” analyzes the Minister of Myriam El Khomri Jobs in a statement.
With job seekers who had a small business, employment center lived in the end of February 5.46 million registered (3100) in France and 5.77 million including overseas, up to three months 0.3%.
The increase was most dramatic on-year, 3.7% in France and 3.6% in France entirely.
Compared with January, the numbers are wrong both in regard to young people under 25 years (+ 0.5% in category A) seniors (+ 0.9%).
For long-term unemployed, rising, small activity range is + 0.3% on month but above 8.5% year on year.
“Continuing failure”
These poor figures that follow “very strong variations from month to month,” “invite to intensify action” of the government, said Ms. El Khomri from Rosny-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis ).
Since June 2012, the number of Class A of unemployed increased by 647 400 in France. But 2015 had shown signs of improvement: the unemployment posted its smallest increase since 2010 and the economy has created more than 82,000 jobs merchants, after destroying three years.
And despite a sluggish global climate, French growth should regain energy in 2016, according to INSEE expects a growth rate of 0.4% in the first and second quarter, thanks to a rebound in consumption, investment sustained and buoyant exports.
But meanwhile, there is not “enough jobs to engage the mechanical unemployment decrease,” notes Mathieu Plane, an economist at the OFCE.
François Hollande has reiterated: the reversal of the unemployment curve, it promised before the end of 2013, will determine his candidacy for a second term in 2017.
Thursday, Republicans lambasted “the employment disaster”, the February figures confirming the “continuing failure” of the president.
The head of state declared earlier this year “state of emergency” against unemployment by announcing a comprehensive training plan for 500,000 additional unemployed and a new premium hiring for SOHO-SME.
The executive has embarked on a final reform of labor law, with an expected impact on employment, but in the longer term. Objective: enable companies to better adapt to the vagaries of the economy via increased flexibility of working time and encourage hiring on permanent contracts rather than CSD.
The project is opposed by some trade unions and youth organizations: they were still thousands – 43,000, according to the Ministry of Interior in the streets Thursday to demand its withdrawal, before a day of action on 31 March in the call of the CGT, FO, FSU, Solidaires, UNEF, UNL and Fidl.
But he is also criticized by the employers themselves, who denounced the withdrawal of measures to promote employment in SMEs TPE-like cap prud’homales allowances. Reacting to the figures, Medef has called for “a return to the initial ambition of Labour bill” to “liberate the creation of sustainable jobs.”
Conversely, the CGT has again demanded its withdrawal and called for a new “reduction in working time” to get out of a situation become “dramatic”.
