The jobless rate in France stood at 10.2% for Q1, the same as the previous quarter, according to the INSEE (National Institute of Statistics for Economic Studies).

Compared to the first quarter 2015, the unemployment rate fell by 0.1%. For Q1 2016, the number of unemployed stood at 2.8 million.. However, it increased among young people and people aged 25 to 49, while it decreased for those aged 50 and over.

Among the unemployed, 1.2 million say they have sought employment for at least one year. Meanwhile, the long-term unemployment rate was 4.3% of the workforce in the first quarter 2016. It increased by 0.1 points from the previous quarter.

In the first quarter 2016, the employment rate in permanent contracts (CDI) aged 15-64 reached 48.9%. It increased by 0.2 points from the previous quarter, and 0.2 points year on year. The employment rate for fixed-term contract (CDD) was 7.3%. It fell slightly in the quarter (-0.1 point), and grew by 0.2 points compared to early 2015.

The employment rate for part-time employment stood at 11.9% in the first quarter2016, 0.1 points higher than the end of 2015. The employment rate in full-time also grew 0.1 point in the first quarter 2016, to 52.7%.

Recently, there has been controversy surrounding a labour reform bill that has triggered months of protest marches. The Government plans to push through the labour market reforms without a vote.