After slightly revising the previous quarter's rate upwards by 0.1%, in the fourth quarter the number of unemployed as defined by the International Labor Office (ILO) increased by 29,000 compared to the previous quarter to 2.3 million people, according to INSEE.
“The unemployment rate is 0.4 points higher than its level at the end of 2022 which was the lowest since 1982,” underlines INSEE even if “it remains significantly below its peak in mid-2015 with its three more points.”
In detail, over the quarter, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 points for 15-24 year olds to 17.5%, a level higher than that of a year previously (+0.6 points).
For 25-49 year olds, it increased again by 0.2 points over the quarter, to 7%, and is 0.5 points above its level a year earlier.
Finally, for those aged 50 or over, the unemployment rate was almost stable over the quarter (-0.1 point), at 5%, the same level as a year earlier.
Long-term unemployment increases slightly
In addition, over the quarter, the unemployment rate for women barely decreased (-0.1 point), to 7.4%, while that of men increased very slightly, to 7.6% (+0.1 point). .
It should be noted that the long-term unemployment rate is increasing very slightly.
Among the unemployed, an average of 571,000 people declared in the fourth quarter of 2023 to be unemployed and looking for one for at least a year, 33,000 more than in the previous quarter.
As a result, the long-term unemployment rate increased very slightly over the quarter (+0.1 point) to 1.9% of the active population.
It remains slightly lower than its level at the end of 2022 (-0.1 point) and significantly lower than its level at the end of 2019 (-0.4 point).