The number of unemployed down slightly in February, according to Dares

The number of job seekers registered in category A (without activity) decreased in February compared to the previous month (-0.93%) with 28,100 fewer unemployed people to 2.996 million, according to figures from the Ministry of Labor published Monday.

Including reduced activity (categories B and C), the number of job seekers in France (excluding Mayotte) fell by 0.41% (-22,300) and stood at 5.366 million, according to the statistics service of the Ministry of Labor (Dares).

The share of long-term job seekers (registered for a year or more) is 43.9%.

Dares does not comment on the monthly data, which is too volatile, favoring quarterly changes.

The latest quarterly results published at the end of January had reported a sharp drop in category A unemployed, by 3.6% in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the previous quarter, i.e. 114,400 fewer registered.

But including reduced activity (categories B and C of Pôle Emploi), the number of job seekers only fell by 0.8%.