The unemployment rate remained high in the south and north-east of France during the last three months of 2024, newly released official data shows.
The average unemployment rate was 7.3% nationally, but higher in three regions: Hauts-de-France, Occitanie (8.7%), and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (7.7%), according to data from state statistics agency Insee.
The 7.3% rate represents a drop of 0.1% from the previous quarter.
In the overseas regions, the rate is significantly higher, ranging from 13.5% in Martinique to 16.8% in Réunion.
The unemployment rate was lowest in Pays de la Loire and Brittany (5.9%), where all departments are below the national average.
Some regions, such as Île-de-France or Occitanie, have highly mixed results.
In Ile-de-France, the average rate of 7% is lower than the national average thanks to the low unemployment in Paris (5.7%) and Hauts-de-Seine (6.1%), but far higher in Seine-Saint-Denis (10.2%).
The contrast is even greater in Occitanie, where Lozère, has the second-lowest unemployment rate in France (4.6%), and Pyrénées-Orientales has the highest unemployment rate in mainland France (12.1%).
