In Q4 2022, the unemployment rate stood at 7.2%, virtually stable over the quarter and 0.3 points below its level a year ago
In Q4 2022, the number of unemployed people as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO) decreased by 45,000 over the quarter, and reached 2.2 million people. The ILO unemployment rate in France (excluding Mayotte) was thus virtually stable (‑0.1 points) at 7.2% of the labour force. Over the year, it decreased by 0.3 points and stood 1.0 point below its pre-crisis level (at the end of 2019). It is its lowest level since the Q1 2008, except for the sharp fall in Q2 2020 during the first lockdown.
Over the quarter, the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 decreased by 1.0 point, at 16.9%. It stood 0.4 points above its Q4 2021 level and 4.9 points below its pre-crisis level. The unemployment rate was stable over the quarter for people aged 25 to 49, at 6.5%, 0.3 points below its level a year ago. Finally, it decreased barely (‑0.1 points) for those aged 50 or more at 5.0%, 0.7 points below its level a year ago.
Over the quarter, the women’s unemployment rate slightly decreased (‑0.2 points) to 6.9% such as the men’s unemployment rate (‑0.1 points) at 7.4%.
The halo around unemployment barely increased quarter-to-quarter
Among the inactive people as defined by the ILO, 1.9 million wanted a job without being considered unemployed, because they either do not seek a job or are not immediately available: they made up the halo around unemployment. This number rose slightly over the quarter (+38,000), thus the share of halo in the population of people aged 15 to 64 was virtually stable quarter-to-quarter (+0.1 points), remaining at the same level as in Q4 2021 (4.5%). Over the quarter, the share of halo was virtually stable (+0.1 points) for all ages, at 6.3% for those aged 15 to 24, 4.6% for those aged 25 to 49 and 3.1% for those aged 50 to 64.
The long-term unemployment rate was stable
Among the unemployed, 580,000 people on average in Q4 2022 declared being jobless and having been job seeking for at least one year. This number decreased barely over the quarter. Thus, the long-term unemployment rate was stable over the quarter at 1.9% of the labour force. It stood 0.3 points below its Q4 2021 level and at its lowest level since Q2 2009.
The 15-64 employment rate was stable over the quarter
On average, in Q4 2022, the employment rate of people aged 15 to 64 was stable at 68.3%, standing at its highest level since INSEE started measuring it (1975). It rose by 0.5 points over the year.
Among young people, the employment rate increased by 0.3 points over the quarter to 35.3%. It grew by 1.4 points over the year and by 5.5 points over 3 years. For those aged 25 to 49, the employment rate was virtually stable over the quarter at 82.7% (+0.1 points), after a 0.3 point increase in the previous quarter. It rose by 0.4 points over the year and stood at it highest level since the beginning of 2008. Finally, for those aged 50-64, the employment rate was stable over the quarter at 66.2%, standing at its highest level since INSEE started measuring it (1975).
Underemployment was virtually stable over the quarter
In Q4 2022, 4.6% of employed people were underemployed. This share war virtually stable over the quarter (+0.1 points) and stood 0.4 points above its level a year ago.
On average, in Q4 2022, 16.5% of participants in the labour market (active people or in the halo around unemployment) were constrained in their labour supply, either by the absence of a job (unemployed or halo around unemployment), or in a situation of underemployment. This share was virtually stable over the quarter (+0.1 points) and stood 0.7 points below its level in Q4 2021.
In Q4 2022, the average number of hours worked per week and per job was 31.2 hours (seasonally-adjusted), down by 1.0% compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. This decline may be explained by two effects: on the one hand, the Christmas holidays began earlier in 2022, which led to more days off during Q4 2022 than during Q4 2019. On the other hand, the number of non worked days due to sick leave (including periods of self-isolation) or childcare remained higher than before the health crisis.
Full-time employment rate rose again while part-time employment rate was stable
The full-time employment rate stood at 57.2% in Q4 2022. It stood at its highest since INSEE started measuring it on a quarterly basis (2003). It grew by 0.2 points over the quarter and by 0.9 points over the year. The part-time employment rate was stable quarter-to-quarter, at 11.2%, slightly below its Q4 2021 level (‑0.3 points). As a result, the share of part-time employment in total employment decreased by 0.1 points over the quarter, to 17.1%, 0.5 points below its level in Q4 2021. This share in Q4 2022, this share was at its lowest level since 2002.
Source: Statistical Office INSEE
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