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The unemployment rate keeps increasing in Q2 2009

The ILO unemployment rate

The ILO unemployment rate goes up by 0.6 points

The average ILO unemployment rate for Q2 2009 in metropolitan France and overseas departments increased at 9.5% of the active population.

In metropolitan France only, it reaches 9.1%, i.e., about 2.6 million people. It went up by 0.6 point compared to the revised Q1 2009. The last time this rate was reached was on the beginning of 2006, before the unemployment decreased until the beginning of 2008.

More generally, in metropolitan France, 3.3 million people do not work but would like to work, whether they are available or not for work within two weeks, or whether they look actively for a job or not (see additional indicators on the internet).

ILO-unemployment rate

ILO-unemployment rate

Estimation close to +/-0.4 point of the unemployment rate

Estimation close to +/-0.3 point of the quaterly variation of the unemployment rate

France = Metropolitan France + overseas departments

Covers the population of people living in households, people aged 15 years or more

Source: INSEE, Labour Force Survey

Ilo-unemployment rate in metropolitan France
Seasonally adjusted, average over quarter - Metropolitan France
*(p) = provisional results
Covers the population of people living in households in metropolitan France, people aged 15 years or more
Source: INSEE, Labour Force Survey
ILO-unemployment rate (%) Variation in point Thousands
2009 Q1 2009 Q2 (p)* over quarter over year 2009 Q2 (p)*
Total 8.5 9.1 0.6 1.8 2 591
15-24 years 22.3 23.9 1.6 5.2 662
25-49 years 7.6 8.1 0.5 1.6 1 490
50 years and more 5.7 6.0 0.3 1.0 439
Men 8.1 8.8 0.7 2.0 1 310
15-24 years 23.6 24.7 1.1 6.0 373
25-49 years 6.6 7.5 0.9 1.9 723
50 years and more 5.6 5.8 0.2 0.7 214
Women 9.0 9.4 0.4 1.6 1 280
15-24 years 20.7 22.8 2.1 4.0 289
25-49 years 8.6 8.7 0.1 1.3 767
50 years and more 5.8 6.3 0.5 1.4 224

ILO employment and activity

On average, the activity rate over Q2 2009 in the population aged 15-64 years is 70.8% and the employment rate 64.3%. The full time equivalent employment rate is inferior by 4 points to the employment rate: it stands at 60.1%.

Activity rate, employment rate (15-64 years)

Activity rate, employment rate (15-64 years)

Covers the population of people living in households, people aged 15-64 years

Source: INSEE, Labour Force Survey

ILO employment, unemployment and activity in the population aged 15-64 years
Seasonally adjusted, average over quarter - Metropolitan France
*(p) = provisional results
Covers the population of people living in households in metropolitan France, people aged 15 years or more
Source: INSEE, Labour Force Survey
% of people in the age group Variation in point
2009 Q1 2009Q2 (p)* Over a quarter Over a year
Employed people aged 15-64 (= Employment rate) 64.4 64.3 -0.1 -0.5
Full-time equivalent employment rate 60.3 60.1 -0.2 -0.4
Men aged 15-64 68.9 68.4 -0.5 -1.0
Women aged 15-64 60.1 60.4 0.3 0.0
15-24 years 28.8 28.4 -0.4 -0.2
25-49 years 82.5 82.3 -0.2 -1.2
50-64 years 55.5 55.9 0.4 0.5
Of which: 55-64 years 41.6 42.0 0.4 0.6
Core employment rate of 55-64 years 40.2 40.6 0.4 1.6
Unemployed persons (proportion in the population aged 15-64) 6.0 6.5 0.5 1.4
Men aged 15-64 6.1 6.7 0.6 1.6
Women aged 15-64 6.0 6.3 0.3 1.2
15-24 years 8.3 8.9 0.6 2.3
25-49 years 6.7 7.3 0.6 1.5
50-64 years 3.3 3.7 0.4 0.7
Of which: 55-64 years 2.4 2.9 0.5 1.0
Active people aged 15-642 (= activity rate) 70.4 70.8 0.4 0.9
Men aged 15-64 75.0 75.1 0.1 0.6
Women aged 15-64 66.0 66.8 0.8 1.3
15-24 years 37.1 37.3 0.2 2.2
25-49 years 89.3 89.5 0.2 0.3
50-64 years 58.8 59.6 0.8 1.2
Of which: 55-64 years 44.1 44.9 0.8 1.6
Active life expectancy of 55-64 years 4.3 4.4 0.1 0.3

Increase of the slack work

Among employed people, 5.9% are under-employed during Q2 2009 (+0.6 point), i.e 1 521 000 persons. During the last three quarters, the under-employment goes up especially because of the growth of people put in slack work: 319 000 persons are in this situation on Q2 2009, i.e. a level equivalent to the one observed in 1993. It represents an increase of 160 000 persons over the quarter, i.e +0.6 point.

ILO underemployment rate
Seasonally adjusted, average over quarter - Metropolitan France
*(p) = provisional results
Covers the population of people living in households in metropolitan France, people aged 15 years or more
Source: INSEE, Labour Force Survey
ILO underemployment rate (%) Variation in point Thousands
2009Q1 2009Q2 (p)* Over a quarter Over a year 2009Q2 (p)*
Total 5.3 5.9 0.6 0.9 1 521
Of which: slack work 0.6 1.2 0.6 0.7 319
Women 8.1 8.3 0.2 0.4 1 085
Men 3.1 3.0 -0.1 0.7 436

The unemployment rate of Q1 2009 revised

The ILO unemployment rate of the first quarter 2009 was revised downward by 0.2 points compared to the temporary publication: it stood at 8.5% in metropolitan France (8.7% according to temporary data). Besides, Q4 2008 was revised upward (+0.2 points); so, the surge in Q1 2009 observed in the temporary publication (+1,1 points) is reduced (+0,7 points). These revisions are bound to the revision of the correction of seasonal adjustment and to the integration of the results of the non response survey for Q1 2009.

Informations Rapides

n° 227 - September 3, 2009

ILO Unemployment and Labour Market-related indicators (Labour Force Survey results) - Second Quarter 2009

For further information

Links

Time series data

More: Long time series about the labour market, data on January 2010, in French only

Local data, in French only

Metropolitan France

unemployment by "régions", by "départements", and by employment area

Unemployment in overseas departments

Guadeloupe, La Réunion, Martinique, Guyane

See also

Publications, in French only

Previous methodology

The series published until July 2007: methodology and data (.PDF, 25 KB), in French only

New

Since July 2009, display of the Informations Rapides has changed.