https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed France devotes more than one third of its GDP to providing its citizens with welfare protection, according to new figures. No other country in Europe is as generous. https://www.thelocal.fr/20161222/france-confirmed-as-european-champions-for-welfare-spending Thu, 22 Dec 2016 14:02:12 +0100 france-confirmed-as-european-champions-for-welfare-spending In a rare piece of good news seized on by embattled President Francois Hollande, France recorded its sharpest drop in unemployment for 20 years in September, the labour ministry said Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20161026/france-sees-biggest-drop-in-jobless-rate-for-20-years Wed, 26 Oct 2016 10:19:24 +0200 france-sees-biggest-drop-in-jobless-rate-for-20-years The French government announced Thursday that unemployment resumed its dogged ascent in August following a slight - and rare - dip in July, as the country struggles to escape years of economic sluggishness. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150925/french-jobless-rate-resumes-relentless-rise Fri, 25 Sep 2015 11:10:21 +0200 french-jobless-rate-resumes-relentless-rise France's economy, the second-largest in the eurozone, will perk up slightly in the first half of the year but unemployment is expected to stay at record highs, according to forecasts. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150403/french-economy-to-pick-up Fri, 03 Apr 2015 13:50:06 +0200 french-economy-to-pick-up France’s welfare state is renowned worldwide for its generosity but the government has suggested that it might be time to tighten purse strings when it comes to the sensitive issues of unemployment benefits and family allowances. However, whether it will or not is another question. https://www.thelocal.fr/20141010/frances-welfare-state-set-to-get-stingier Fri, 10 Oct 2014 19:35:00 +0200 frances-welfare-state-set-to-get-stingier The number of jobseekers in France rose for the 27th consecutive month in July to reach a new record, but the Socialist government described the moderate 0.2 percent increase on the previous month as "encouraging". https://www.thelocal.fr/20130828/government-encouraged-by-latest-rise-in-jobless Wed, 28 Aug 2013 10:47:00 +0200 government-encouraged-by-latest-rise-in-jobless France and Germany are to launch a joint initiative this month aimed at tackling the growing problem of youth unemployment in Europe. The scheme, called "New Deal for Europe" will be used to promote education and training. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130513/france-and-germany-plan-deal-for-jobless-youths Mon, 13 May 2013 14:08:24 +0200 france-and-germany-plan-deal-for-jobless-youths Things got a whole lot worse for France on the unemployment front on Thursday with new figures showing the jobless rate had risen to 10.6 percent, the highest level since 1999. The level of unemployment among young people hit 25.7 percent. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130307/jobless-rate-in-france-at-highest-level-since-1999 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:18:00 +0100 jobless-rate-in-france-at-highest-level-since-1999 The number of registered French unemployed rose by 43,000 in January to 3.16 million, the labour ministry said Tuesday, to just shy of a 16-year record. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130226/french-jobless-rate-almost-hits-16-year-high Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:50:58 +0100 french-jobless-rate-almost-hits-16-year-high A teenage pupil at a school in western France and a jobless man in Paris deliberately set themselves on fire on Friday, raising fears of a trend of copycat acts after an unemployed man committed suicide by self-immolation earlier this week. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130215/school-pupil-tries-to-self-immolate-in-copycat-act Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:10:00 +0100 school-pupil-tries-to-self-immolate-in-copycat-act French unemployment rose in October for the 18th consecutive month, according to government figures released on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20121127/jobless-rate-continues-sharply-higher Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:45:55 +0100 jobless-rate-continues-sharply-higher