French jobless claims in a little decline at the end of 2010 (Reuters) (03-03-2011)

PARIS – French jobless claims fell in the fourth quarter of 2010 to 9.6 percent from 9.7 percent in the third quarter while the peak of 9.9 percent in France's jobless rate in the fourth quarter of 2009 is compared to the labour market bore the brunt of a global downturn.

Labour Minister Xavier Bertrand called the latest figures, the best since the second quarter of 2009, "encouraging". President Nicolas Sarkozy and his centre-right government face presidential and legislative elections in the second quarter of 2012 and are struggling to convince voters that they can make more significant inroads into unemployment.

The French president Sarkozy recently announced that 500 million euros was being earmarked to improve training and other services provided to job-seekers.

Bertrand repeated that announcement and highlighted a drop in youth unemployment in mainland France.

The statistics office reported a drop in the unemployment rate among under-25s, to 22.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, from 24.2 percent in the previous quarter.

Source: Reuters