2019.08.1403:56:00UTC+00France Q2 Jobless Rate Lowest In Over A Decade

France's unemployment rate eased further in the second quarter to reach its lowest level in over a decade, preliminary data from the statistical office INSEE showed on Wednesday.

The ILO jobless rate for metropolitan France dropped to 8.2 percent from 8.4 percent in the first quarter. The rate was the lowest since the first three months of 2009, when it was the same.

The unemployment rate has eased since the fourth quarter of 2018.

The jobless rate for overall France fell to 8.5 percent from 8.7 percent, marking its lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2008.

In metropolitan France, the number of unemployed decreased by 66,000 sequentially to 2.4 million.

The youth unemployment rate, which applies to the 15-24 age group, in metropolitan France fell to 18.6 percent from 19.2 percent in the previous quarter.

Underemployment decreased sharply from a year ago, INSEE said.