France – Sapin: Unemployment to stay high

“France is doing badly. The French economy is doing badly,” Sapin admitted on Tuesday.

“The worsening of the employment situation will be longlasting but not eternal,” he continued.

July’s unemployment figures saw the 15th consecutive month-on-month rise, by 1.4 per cent to 2,987,100, the highest since June 1999.

The year-on-year rise is 8.5 per cent.

If part-time and short-time workers are included the figures is 4,453,800.

In an interview with RTL radio Sapin said that the government hoped to swiftly introduce its proposd “generation contracts”, which will help employers take on young workers on condition that they keep an older one who might otherwise have been fired…

via Unemployment here to stay, warns French government as joblessness nears three milion – France – RFI.