According to data published on Wednesday by INSEE, in the first quarter of 2026 the number of unemployed people in France increases by 68,000 compared with the previous quarter, to 2.6 million people.
The unemployment rate stands at 8.1% of the active population, up 0.2 percentage point from its level in the fourth quarter of 2025 and up 0.7 point from that of the first quarter of 2025.
This rate is at its highest level since the first quarter of 2021 but remains well below its mid-2015 peak (-2.4 percentage points).
Over the quarter, the unemployment rate for 15-24 year olds falls by 0.4 point, to 21.1%. By contrast, it rises by 0.4 point among 25-49 year olds, to 7.3%, thus reaching for this age group its highest level since the first quarter of 2021.
The unemployment rate is almost stable for those aged 50 years and over at 5.2%. Over a year, the unemployment rate increases for all age groups: +2.0 points among 15-24 year olds, +0.6 point among 25-49 year olds and +0.4 point among 50 years or more.
The unemployment rate among women is almost stable for the quarter at 7.7%, while that of men rises by 0.3 point to 8.5%, thus reaching its highest level since the first quarter of 2021. Over a year, the unemployment rate increases more for men (+1.0 point) than for women (+0.3 point).
INSEE indicated that the first quarter of 2026 is also the fifth quarter of the implementation of the Full Employment Law: over the five cumulative quarters, RSA beneficiaries and young people aged 15 to 29 registered with France Travail contribute to nearly half of the rise in the unemployment rate.
