Plunge In France's Joblessness Gives Hollande A Boost

PARIS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2016 ) : In a welcome piece of good news for embattled President Francois Hollande, France recorded its sharpest drop in unemployment for 20 years in September, the labour ministry said Tuesday.

It said 66,300 fewer people were looking for work in September, bringing the jobless total to 3.49 million in mainland France and more than erasing August's increase in job seekers of over 50,000.

The total sneaked under 3.5 million for the first time since January 2015. The deeply unpopular Hollande, who has staked his presidency on reining in unemployment, stuck at around 10 percent, has yet to declare whether he plans to run for re-election next year.

In percentage terms, September's 1.9 percent drop was the largest since November 2000. It was the largest monthly drop since 1996 when the government started its current method of tracking unemployment.