Insee Première · March 2026 · n° 2096

Labour market at a glance in 2025 Unemployment back on the rise, activity rate at its highest level in 50 years

In 2025, in France, 69.3% of people aged 15 to 64 were in employment as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO). This annual employment rate rose by an average of 0.3 points over the year, continuing the upward trend that began in the mid-2010s. Whereas the employment rate for young people levelled off, it continued to increase for older people, at a similar pace to that of the last decade.

For the third year in a row, the cumulative share of fixed-term and temporary employment declined. It reached 9.4%.

In 2025, 19.7% of the employees worked remotely, a share that rose by 1.5 points compared with 2024. On average, however, teleworkers worked from home fewer days per week than in 2024.

The share of people in part-time employment rose again, increasing by 0.2 points over the year (17.7% in 2025). Underemployment was virtually stable at 4.4%, 1.4 points below its pre-Covid-19 crisis level.

The unemployment rate as defined by the ILO, which had remained virtually stable since 2022 after falling for seven years, rose by 0.3 points in 2025: it reached an average of 7.7%, 2.7 points below its peak level of 2015. The share of the unemployment halo remained at its 2024 level (4.5%).

The activity rate of people aged 15 to 64 rose by 0.6 points over the year to reach 75.1%: like the employment rate, it was at its highest level since 1975.