Informations Rapides · 14 February 2023 · n° 37

In Q4 2022, the unemployment rate was virtually stable at 7.2% ILO Unemployment and Labour Market-related indicators (Labour Force Survey results) - fourth quarter 2022

In Q4 2022, the number of unemployed people as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO) decreased by 45,000 over the quarter, and reached 2.2 million people. The ILO unemployment rate in France (excluding Mayotte) was thus virtually stable (‑0.1 points) at 7.2% of the labour force. Over the year, it decreased by 0.3 points and stood 1.0 point below its pre-crisis level (at the end of 2019). It is its lowest level since the Q1 2008, except for the sharp fall in Q2 2020 during the first lockdown.

Over the quarter, the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 decreased by 1.0 point, at 16.9%. It stood 0.4 points above its Q4 2021 level and 4.9 points below its pre-crisis level. The unemployment rate was stable over the quarter for people aged 25 to 49, at 6.5%, 0.3 points below its level a year ago. Finally, it decreased barely (‑0.1 points) for those aged 50 or more at 5.0%, 0.7 points below its level a year ago.

Over the quarter, the women’s unemployment rate slightly decreased (‑0.2 points) to 6.9% such as the men’s unemployment rate (‑0.1 points) at 7.4%.

Among the inactive people as defined by the ILO, 1.9 million wanted a job without being considered unemployed, because they either do not seek a job or are not immediately available: they made up the halo around unemployment. This number rose slightly over the quarter (+38,000), thus the share of halo in the population of people aged 15 to 64 was virtually stable quarter-to-quarter (+0.1 points), remaining at the same level as in Q4 2021 (4.5%). Over the quarter, the share of halo was virtually stable (+0.1 points) for all ages, at 6.3% for those aged 15 to 24, 4.6% for those aged 25 to 49 and 3.1% for those aged 50 to 64.

Among the unemployed, 580,000 people on average in Q4 2022 declared being jobless and having been job seeking for at least one year. This number decreased barely over the quarter. Thus, the long-term unemployment rate was stable over the quarter at 1.9% of the labour force. It stood 0.3 points below its Q4 2021 level and at its lowest level since Q2 2009.

On average, in Q4 2022, the employment rate of people aged 15 to 64 was stable at 68.3%, standing at its highest level since INSEE started measuring it (1975). It rose by 0.5 points over the year.

Among young people, the employment rate increased by 0.3 points over the quarter to 35.3%. It grew by 1.4 points over the year and by 5.5 points over 3 years. For those aged 25 to 49, the employment rate was virtually stable over the quarter at 82.7% (+0.1 points), after a 0.3 point increase in the previous quarter. It rose by 0.4 points over the year and stood at it highest level since the beginning of 2008. Finally, for those aged 50-64, the employment rate was stable over the quarter at 66.2%, standing at its highest level since INSEE started measuring it (1975).

In Q4 2022, 4.6% of employed people were underemployed. This share war virtually stable over the quarter (+0.1 points) and stood 0.4 points above its level a year ago.

On average, in Q4 2022, 16.5% of participants in the labour market (active people or in the halo around unemployment) were constrained in their labour supply, either by the absence of a job (unemployed or halo around unemployment), or in a situation of underemployment. This share was virtually stable over the quarter (+0.1 points) and stood 0.7 points below its level in Q4 2021.

In Q4 2022, the average number of hours worked per week and per job was 31.2 hours (seasonally-adjusted), down by 1.0% compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. This decline may be explained by two effects: on the one hand, the Christmas holidays began earlier in 2022, which led to more days off during Q4 2022 than during Q4 2019. On the other hand, the number of non worked days due to sick leave (including periods of self-isolation) or childcare remained higher than before the health crisis.

The full-time employment rate stood at 57.2% in Q4 2022. It stood at its highest since INSEE started measuring it on a quarterly basis (2003). It grew by 0.2 points over the quarter and by 0.9 points over the year. The part-time employment rate was stable quarter-to-quarter, at 11.2%, slightly below its Q4 2021 level (‑0.3 points). As a result, the share of part-time employment in total employment decreased by 0.1 points over the quarter, to 17.1%, 0.5 points below its level in Q4 2021. This share in Q4 2022, this share was at its lowest level since 2002.

The permanent employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 increased by 0.4 points over the quarter to 50.5%. It stood 0.7 points above its pre-crisis level (at the end of 2019). The employment rate on fixed-term contract or temporary work decreased by 0.4 points over the quarter, to 6.6%, slightly below its pre-crisis level (‑0.2 points). The self-employed employment rate (+0.1 points, to 8.5%) and the work-study employment rate (‑0.1 points, to 2.3%) were virtually stable over the quarter but stood above their pre-crisis level (respectively by 0.5 points and 0.6 points).

The activity rate of people aged 15 to 64 was virtually stable over the quarter (‑0.1 points), at 73.6%. It grew by 0.3 points over the year and by 0.8 points compared to its end of 2019 level.

Over the quarter, the activity rate for people aged 15 to 24 slightly fell back (‑0.2 points), to 42.4%, but remained clearly above its level a year ago (+1.8 points). The activity rate was virtually stable for those aged 25 to 49 at 88.4% (+0.1 points) and for those aged 50 to 64 at 69.8% (‑0.1 points).

In Q4 2022, the share of young people aged 15 to 29 neither in employment nor in education or training (NEET) rose by 0.9  points, to 12.5%, after a 0.5 point decrease in the previous quarter. This share stood slightly above its pre-crisis level (+0.3 points), despite the strong increase in their employment rate, as a result of the sharp decline in the share of them in training (excluding work-study students) in the same time.

Compared to the first estimate published on 15 November 2022, the ILO unemployment rate in Q3 2022 remained unchanged at 7.3%. However, the unemployment rate in Q4 2021 was slightly revised upward, to 7.5%, due to the usual updating of seasonal adjustment coefficients. The employment rate and the activity rate in Q3 2022 remained unchanged.

The next publication, relative to Q1 2023, is scheduled for 17 May 2023 at 7:30 am.