The French jobs market has reported its second consecutive year of employment growth, with 200,000 new jobs created in the commercial sector during 2016. The government said that the latest figures confirm the fact of economic growth in France.
The last three months of 2016 were the seventh consecutive quarter of jobs increasing, taking the total over 2015 and 2016 to more than 300,000 new positions.
The jobs market fell in numbers in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The Ministry of Labour said that the improvement was due to “measures taken by the government”.
Temporary employment has reached its highest level since the beginning of 2008, and the sector is considered a precursor of employment trends.
Overall, job creation in 2016 is a good omen for the publication next Thursday of the unemployment rate for 2016.
In the third quarter, the rate stood at 9.7 percent in metropolitan France and 10 percent in France as a whole. However, between 2.81 and 3.47 million remain unemployed.
The new hirings have come too late for the outgoing president, Francois Hollande, who has suffered record-braking unpopularity. Presidential elections are due in three months’ time.