The unemployment rate in France decreased by 0.6% in the second quarter of 2019 when compared to the same period last year, standing at 8.5% of the active population, according to data from INSEE, France’s national institute of statistics and economic studies.

The data excluded statistics from the French Island of Mayotte.

When compared to the previous quarter, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.2% after a 0.1% fall in the first quarter.

In metropolitan France, the unemployment rate declined by 0.2% compared to the previous quarter and by 0.6% over the year, to 8.2 % of the labour force.

At the same time, fixed-term and temporary employment rate fell 0.2% when compared to the same period last year but was stable compared to Q1 2019. It stood at 7.6%, 0.5% below its highest level reached at the end of 2017.

The employment rate of the population aged 15-64 years grew slightly (0.2%) in Q2 2019, at 66.0%, when compared to the same period last year. Among age groups, the highest increase was seen in 50-64 years old category (0.5%)

Over the quarter, the employment rate fell slightly among the 15-64 group. The youth employment rate saw the biggest decrease (-0.3%).

Full-time employment rate stood at 54.7% in Q2 2019. It increased by 0.2% over a quarter and 0.8% over a year, reaching its highest level since 2003 (beginning of the quarterly series). Part-time employment rate decreased by 0.3% compared to the previous quarter and 0.7% over a year, to 11.3%.

The latest data from Prism Emploi, the association of employment agencies, showed the number of temporary workers in France decreased by 3.4% year-over-year in May 2019.