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Decrease in the unemployment rate in Q1 2011

Warning: In Q1 2011, the Eurostat concepts of age and activity for trainees were adopted. Age is now defined on the week people are interviewed, and not anymore at the end of the year. Trainees are considered as employed if they get paid, and no more if their job is similar to their colleagues. Historical data are available with these concepts.

The unemployment rate

The unemployment rate decreased in Q1 2011

In Q1 2011, the average ILO unemployment rate in metropolitan France and overseas departments stood at 9.7% of the active population.

In metropolitan France only, 9.2% of the active population was unemployed, i.e. 2.6 million people. The unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 point q-o-q, and 0.3 point y-o-y.

More generally, in metropolitan France, 3.4 million people did 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 +/-0.3 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
2010Q4 2011Q1 (p)* over quarter over year 2011Q1 (p)*
Total 9,3 9,2 –0,1 –0,3 2 618
15-24 years 22,2 22,8 0,6 –0,2 656
25-49 years 8,4 8,3 –0,1 –0,2 1 510
50 years and more 6,3 6,3 0,0 –0,2 452
Men 8,6 8,6 0,0 –0,7 1 274
15-24 years 20,7 21,1 0,4 –2,6 332
25-49 years 7,6 7,6 0,0 –0,5 725
50 years and more 6,0 5,8 –0,2 –0,5 217
Women 10,0 9,9 –0,1 0,2 1 344
15-24 years 24,1 25,0 0,9 2,8 324
25-49 years 9,2 9,0 –0,2 0,1 785
50 years and more 6,6 6,7 0,1 0,0 235

ILO employment and activity

Permanent and temporary contract employment rate (15-64 years)

Permanent and temporary contract employment rate (15-64 years)

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

Source: INSEE, Labour Force Survey

Permanent contracts was stable in Q1 2011, at 48.8% of the population aged 15-64. Temporary contracts decreased by 0,1 point, at 6.7%.

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
(1) those data cover the people who are 15-64 years old. They are a little bit different of the data in table 1 (which covers the total population).
Source: INSEE, Labour Force Survey
% of people in the age group Variation in point Thousands (1)
2010Q4 2011Q1 (p)* Over quarter Over year 2011Q1 (p)*
Employed people (15-64 years) 63,8 63,8 0,0 –0,1 25 562
Full-time equivalent employment rate 59,4 59,5 0,1 0,1 23 825
Men aged 15-64 68,2 68,3 0,1 0,2 13 447
Women aged 15-64 59,4 59,5 0,1 –0,3 12 115
15-24 years 30,2 29,8 –0,4 –0,7 2 217
25-49 years 81,7 81,9 0,2 –0,1 16 751
50-64 years 54,1 54,2 0,1 0,6 6 594
Included : 55-64 years 40,1 40,3 0,2 1,1 3 226
Core employment rate of 55-64 years 39,7 40,2 0,5 2,0
Unemployed persons (15-64 years) 6,5 6,5 0,0 –0,2 2 611
Men aged 15-64 6,5 6,4 –0,1 –0,6 1 270
Women aged 15-64 6,6 6,6 0,0 0,2 1 341
15-24 years 8,6 8,8 0,2 –0,3 656
25-49 years 7,5 7,4 –0,1 –0,2 1 510
50-64 years 3,7 3,7 0,0 0,0 445
Included : 55-64 years 2,8 2,8 0,0 0,0 222
Active people (15-64 years) 70,3 70,3 0,0 –0,3 28 173
Men aged 15-64 74,7 74,7 0,0 –0,4 14 717
Women aged 15-64 66,0 66,1 0,1 –0,1 13 456
15-24 years 38,9 38,6 –0,3 –1,1 2 873
25-49 years 89,1 89,2 0,1 –0,4 18 261
50-64 years 57,7 57,8 0,1 0,5 7 039
Included : 55-64 years 42,9 43,1 0,2 1,1 3 448
Active life expectancy of 55-64 years (years) 4,2 4,3 0,1 0,2

The full time equivalent employment rate was lower by 4 points than the employment rate: it stood at 59.5% on average in Q4 2010.

The activity rate of the 15-64 years was 70.3%.

Slack work at the same level than before the crisis

In Q1 2011, 4.8% of the persons employed were underemployed. Slack work decreased by 0.5 point, to 0.2%. The unwanted part-time was 4.6% of the employed (see additional indicators on the internet).

ILO underemployment
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
2010Q4 2011Q1 (p)* Over a quarter Over a year 2011Q1 (p)*
Total 5,9 4,8 –1,1 –1,3 1 243
Included : slack work 0,7 0,2 –0,5 –0,7 47
Women 8,8 7,5 –1,3 –1,4 944
Men 3,6 2,1 –1,5 –1,5 299

Revision

The ILO unemployment rate of Q4 2010 was upgraded by 0.1 point compared to the temporary publication of March 2011. In this quarter, besides the Eurostat concepts’ adoption and usual revisions, the weighting of the labour force survey was revised to include the results of the census 2008.

Informations Rapides

n° 139 - June 1, 2011

ILO Unemployment and Labour Market-related indicators (Labour Force Survey results) - 1st Quarter 2011

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.