Unemployment in France surged to its highest level in over 12 years in March, the labor ministry data showed Thursday, days ahead of the Presidential poll.
The number of registered job seekers in the country rose to 2.88 million in March, the highest total since September 1999. The jobless total was up 0.6 percent from February.
Furthermore, the data showed this was the eleventh consecutive monthly rise in the number of job seekers,
The news comes days ahead of the second round Presidential elections on May 6, when President Nicolas Sarkozy's hopes to get re-elected beating front-runner Socialist Francois Hollande.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.