French unemployment hits 10%

03/05/2010 • by: RUADHÁN Mac CORMAIC in Paris, IrishTimes.com

UNEMPLOYMENT IN France rose to its highest level in a decade in the fourth quarter of 2009, new figures revealed yesterday. News that the jobless rate jumped to 10 per cent from 9.5 per cent in the third quarter comes as a blow to the ruling UMP party less than two weeks before voters go to the polls in the first round of regional elections. According to a report by national statistics office Insee, the unemployment rate in all of France, including overseas territories, rose sharply to a level not seen since 1999.