Informations Rapides · 10 February 2026 · n° 34

In Q4 2025, the unemployment rate stood at 7.9%, up by 0.2 points over the quarter and by 0.6 points over the year ILO Unemployment and Labour Market-related indicators (Labour Force Survey results) - fourth quarter 2025

In Q4 2025, the number of unemployed people in France (excluding Mayotte) as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO) increased by 56,000 over the quarter and reached 2.5 million people. The ILO unemployment rate stood at 7.9% of the labour force, up by 0.2 points over the quarter and by 0.6 points over the year. It reached its highest level since Q3 2021 but was still clearly below its peak level reached in Q2 2015 (-2.6 points).

Over the quarter, the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 increased by 2.4 points, bringing the year-on-year rise to 2.8 points, reaching 21.5%. For the wider group of people aged 15 to 29, the unemployment rate rose more modestly: +0.5 points over the quarter and +1.7 points over the year, to 16.0%. However, the unemployment rate for people aged 25 to 49 decreased by 0.2 points over the quarter, to 6.9%, and remained below its level from a year ago (-0.3 points). Finally, for people aged 50 or more, the unemployment rate was stable over the quarter, at 5.1 %, that is 0.4 points above its Q4 2024 level.

Women’s unemployment rate is virtually stable over the quarter (-0.1 points), at 7.6%, while men’s unemployment rate rose by 0.4 points, to 8.1 %. Over the year, the unemployment rate increased by 0.5 points for women and by 0.7 points for men.

Q4 2025 is also the fourth quarter in which the French “full employment Act” (Loi pour le plein emploi) was implemented, with a slightly upward contribution of RSA recipients on the activity rate and on the unemployment rate cumulatively over four quarters (see below).

Among the inactive people as defined by the ILO, 1.9 million wanted a job without being considered unemployed, because they either did not seek a job or were not immediately available: they made up the halo around unemployment. This number increased very slightly over the quarter (+13,000).

Thus, the share of halo in the population of people aged 15 to 64 was stable over the quarter at 4.4%. It was 0.2 points below its Q4 2024 level. Over the quarter, the share of halo rose by 0.3 points amongst people aged 15 to 24, to 7.6%. It was virtually stable (-0.1 points) for those aged 25 to 49, at 4.2%, and stable for those aged 50 to 64 at 2.8%.

Among the unemployed, 580,000 people on average declared being jobless and having been job seeking for at least one year in Q4 2025, that is 2,000 less than in the previous quarter. The long-term unemployment rate was therefore stable over the quarter and virtually stable over the year (+0.1 points), at 1.8% of the labour force. It remained 0.4 points below its end of 2019 level.

On average in Q4 2025, the employment rate of people aged 15 to 64 was stable at 69.4%, very slightly below its highest level since INSEE started measuring it (1975) reached in both Q1 and Q2 2025 (69.5%). It is also higher than its Q4 2024 level (+0.3 points).

For people aged 15 to 24, the employment rate decreased again over the quarter (-0.3 points) to 34.3%. It remained however higher than its Q4 2024 level by 0.4 points. For people aged 25 to 49, the employment rate was stable both over the quarter and over the year, at 82.9%. Finally, among people aged 50 to 64, the employment rate rose very slightly (+0.1 points), bringing the year-on-year increase to 0.4 points and reached 69.4%, a new highest level since INSEE started measuring it (1975). In particular, the employment rate for people aged 55 to 64 increased more clearly (+0.4 points over the quarter and +1.1 points over the year), to 62.1%, that is also its highest level since 1975.

In Q4 2025, the full-time employment rate was virtually stable over the quarter (-0.1 points) and over the year (-0.1 points), at 57.5%. The part-time employment was stable over the quarter, at 11.8%, that is 0.3 points higher than its level from a year ago. The share of part-time employment in total employment increased by 0.2 points over the quarter and by 0.4 points over the year, to 17.9%. This share stood above its lowest level since 1996 (17.1% in Q3 and Q4 2022) but 0.9 points below its level at the end of 2019.

In Q4 2025, 4.4% of employed people were underemployed. This share was stable over the quarter and virtually stable over the year (+0.1 points). It remained 1.5 points below its end of 2019 level.

On average, in Q4 2025, 16.9% 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 rose very slightly by 0.1 points over the quarter, bringing its year-on-year rise to +0.4 points but remained clearly below its level at the end of 2019 (-2.0 points).

In Q4 2025, the average number of hours worked per job was virtually stable both over the quarter and over the year, at 31.3 hours per week. Since mid-2022, the number of hours worked has slightly fluctuated around its level before the health crisis (31.3 hours in Q4 2019).

The permanent employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 was virtually stable (-0.1 points) over the quarter, at 51.2%, that is 0.2 points above its level a year ago. The employment rate on fixed-term contract and temporary work increased both over the quarter (+0.2 points) and over the year (+0.1 points), to 6.6%. The self-employment was virtually stable over ther quarter (+0.1 points) and over the year (+0.1 points). However, the work-study employment rate decreased by 0.2 points over the quarter and over the year, to 2.3%, that is still highly above its level before the health crisis (+0.7 points).

The activity rate of people aged 15 to 64 rose by 0.2 points over the quarter and reached 75.4%, its highest level since INSEE started measuring it (1975). It stood 0.8 points above its level from a year ago and 2.6 points above its level at the end of 2019.

Over the quarter, the activity rate for people aged 15 to 24 rose by 0.8 points, to 43.6%. It was 1.9 points higher than its level from a year ago. The activity rate for people aged 25 to 49 was virtually stable (-0.1 points) at 89.1% and stood 0.3 points above its Q4 2024 level. Finally, for people aged 50 to 64, the activity rate was stable at 73.1%, its highest level since INSEE started measuring it (1975). It was 0.6 points above its level at the end of 2024. Amongst seniors, activity rate for people aged 55 to 64 ans rose by 0.5 points, bringing the year-on-year rise to +1.4 points to reach 65.7%, that is 6.5 points more than at the end of 2019.

In Q4 2025, the share of young people aged 15 to 29 neither in employment nor in education or training (NEET) increased by 0.4 points, to 12.9%. This share stood 0.2 points above its level from a year ago and 0.7 points above its level from the end of 2019.

The French “Full Employment Act” (Loi pour le plein emploi), adopted in December 2023, provides for the systematic registration with the national public employment service, France Travail, starting in early 2025, of RSA recipients and their partners, young people supported by local youth missions, and people with disabilities supported by Cap emploi. This mechanically led to a sharp increase in the number of people registered with France Travail in Q1 2025 Ouvrir dans un nouvel onglet(Dares, 2025).

Insee published a first overview of the labour market situation — according to the ILO definition — of RSA recipients in the second half of 2024, on the eve of the law's implementation (Insee, 2025). Since then, INSEE has followed every quarter the contribution of the targeted public to the main labour market indicators in its short-term economic publications. More precisely, it details the contributions of RSA recipients (here including all individuals aged 15 or over belonging to a household including at least one RSA recipient) and of young people registered with France Travail.

In Q4 2025, the activity rate for RSA recipients reached 47.0%, a 0.6 points decrease over the quarter. Over the year, it however increased by 1.2 points. Thus RSA recipients contributed, given their weight, to -0.06 points to the change in the activity rate of people aged 15 to 64 years over the quarter. Over the year, they contributed to +0.12 points to the overall change (out of +0.74 points in total).

Among the labour force, unemployment rate for RSA recipients reached 45.3%, an increase of 0.4 points over the quarter and bringing the increase from Q4 2024 to 4.5 points. Given their weight among the labour force, they contributed to +0.02 points to the change in unemployment rate this quarter and to +0.11 points to the cumulated evolution over the four quarters (out of +0.62 points in total).

Regarding employment rate for RSA recipients, it decreased by 0.5 points over the quarter and by 1.5 points over the year, to 25.5 %. Thus over the year RSA recipients almost did not contribute to the overall evolution of the employment rate.

In Q4 2025, the activity rate among young people aged 15 to 29 registered with France Travail increased by 1.4 points over the quarter, contributing to +0.05 points to the overall change. Over the year, its contribution to the overall change was very low (+0.02 points).

Among the labour force, the unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 29 registered with France Travail reached 47.6%, a decrease by 0.6 points over the quarter: it contributed very slightly to the overall unemployment rate over the quarter (-0.02 points). Over the year, it increased by 1.2 points, contributing very slightly (+0.04) to the unemployment overall increase (+0.62 points).

In addition, the employment rate for young people aged 15 to 29 registered with France Travail increased over the quarter (+1.2 points, to 40.8%), contributing to +0.05 points to the overall employment rate over the quarter. Over the year, its global contribution to the overall employment rate was very low (-0.02 points).

Ultimately, after a year of the “Full Employment Act” implementation, the RSA recipients contribution was slightly positive to the rise in both unemployment rate and activity rate while the young people registered with France Travail contribution was almost nothing. However those contributions should be taken carefully given survey uncertainties and the low share of those population.

Compared to previous publications, adjustments may be due to the usual updating of seasonal adjustment coefficients. Nevertheless, compared to the first estimation published on 13 November 2025, either ILO unemployment rate, or the activity rate of people aged 15 to 64 or employment rate of people aged 15 to 64 remained unchanged.