Good news to end the year. The number of unemployed (category A) continued to decline in November, with 55,800 fewer job seekers (-1.7%), to 3.321 million, after a drop of 3.3% in October, according to figures from the Ministry of Labor published on Monday.
Including reduced activity (categories B and C), the number of job seekers in France (excluding Mayotte) is down 0.7% in November compared to the previous month (-39,800 people) and stands at to 5.669 million, according to the Statistics Directorate (Dares). This number had dropped back in October to below the pre-crisis level of December 2019 (5.726 million), registering a drop of 1.6%.
Higher level than before the crisis in all categories
While the number of job seekers in category A drops significantly, those in category B and C increased by 0.7% (+16,100). Over one year, the drop in category A is 13.2% (-505,300). For categories A, B and C, it is -5.7% (-341,800).
The Dares does not comment on the monthly data, which is too volatile, favoring quarterly developments. The latest quarterly results published at the end of October showed a drop in the number of category A unemployed by 5.5% in the third quarter.
Categories A were then just below the pre-crisis level, with 5,200 fewer job seekers compared to the 4th quarter of 2019. For categories A, B and C as a whole, it remained above its level d ‘pre-crisis (+124.100).