The unemployment rate of the active population in the third quarter finally stood at 8.1%, an increase of 0.1 point.
The unemployment rate measured according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) definition thus remains almost stable, at a level around which it has fluctuated since the end of last year and which was the level before the start of the health crisis. In total, this concerns 2.4 million people in France (excluding Mayotte), which is 52,000 more than in the previous quarter.
This development may seem disappointing. It should not hide the reality of a macroeconomic picture of the labor market in clear improvement.
As predicted by INSEE, the employment rate for those aged 15-64 has reached its highest level since 1975. At 67.5%, it has gained 0.5 points over a quarter, and 0.7 points since the end of 2019.
Another positive effect, the proportion of those who are neither employed nor in training, the “Neet” to use the Anglo-Saxon acronym, has reached its lowest level since the end of 2008, at 11.6%.
