What seems an improvement is in reality only a "trompe-l'oeil".
This is what emerges from the analysis, published this Tuesday morning, of the unemployment rate by INSEE in the fourth quarter of 2020. If the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies recorded a sharp decline, of 1.1 % of the unemployment rate with 340,000 people less, there is no question of rejoicing.
In France, excluding Mayotte, 8% of the working population is unemployed.
A suspicious drop that had already been observed in the second quarter of 2020.
In reality, according to INSEE, this decrease should be taken with a grain of salt.
Due to the second confinement, between October 30 and December 15, "a significant number of people have switched to inactivity, notably for lack of being able to carry out active job searches under the usual conditions", explains in his analysis l 'institute.
Moreover, even if the employment rate has recovered, "it should be put into perspective by the decline in hours worked per job".
In detail, among those who would perhaps have given up on finding a job the most, we find the very young (15-24 years old) with a drop of 3.6 points.
However, all age groups are concerned.
"The unemployment rate is thus lower than its level a year earlier for young people (‒1.5 point) and almost at the same level as a year before for their elders (+ 0.1 point for 25-49 year olds). ; ‒0.1 point for 50 years and over) ”, observes INSEE.
1.8 million French people want a job, without being considered unemployed
According to INSEE, 1.8 million French people want a job, without being considered unemployed and constitute the halo around unemployment.
A peak of this halo had already been observed in the second quarter when many French people had interrupted their job search due to the first confinement.
In the 4th quarter of 2020, a fall in unemployment in trompe-l'oeil
“It was mainly made up of people wishing to work and available to do so, but who had not taken active steps to find a job.
With the end of the first confinement, unemployed people have again resumed their job searches, automatically reducing the halo around unemployment in the third quarter, ”explains the statistical institute.
Hence the sharp rise in unemployment in the third quarter.
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But this quantitative analysis also reveals some positive.
Thus, 65.6% of 15-64 year olds are employed, an increase of 0.6 point, after an increase of the same magnitude (+ 0.6 point) in the third quarter.
The employment rate for all age groups is increasing, except that of young men (-0.8 point).
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This increase in the employment rate over the last two quarters does not, however, offset the decline in the second quarter (‒1.6 point).
The employment rate thus remains below its level a year earlier.
The effects of partial unemployment over the year are visible.
For INSEE, “the average number of hours worked per job is 2.2% below its level a year earlier”.
In the fourth quarter of 2020, the average number of hours worked fell by 1.3%, to 30.5 hours per week.
The rate of part-time workers, in the fourth quarter, observed a decrease of 0.2 point and 0.8 point over one year, to 17.4%.
But there is also a positive note here, with a full-time employment rate increasing by 0.2 points over the year.