French jobless total falls for third straight month in November

[PARIS] The number of people out of work in France fell to the lowest point in almost four years in November, dropping for the third month in a row, Labour Ministry data showed on Monday.

The ministry said 3,447,000 people were registered as unemployed in mainland France last month - the lowest figure since Jan 2013, down 0.9 per cent from October and 3.4 per cent from Nov 2015.

It is the first time since Feb 2008 that the jobless figure has fallen for three consecutive months, Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri said in a statement.

"This decline in unemployment is significant," Ms Khomri said, noting that it came after eight years of almost uninterrupted rises in unemployment.

Unemployment has remained stubbornly high throughout the five-year term of President Francois Hollande, contributing to his record unpopularity.

Mr Hollande, who had staked his political future on reversing the trend in unemployment, has decided not to seek a second term in next year's presidential election.

Speaking at an event in the north of Paris, Mr Hollande said that the November jobless numbers were satisfactory but that there was still a long way to go.

REUTERS