The number of unemployed fell sharply (-4.6%) in June, but the number of people in the A, B and C categories continued to rise, up 0.5% to an all-time high.

The number of jobseekers with no activity recorded a record decline in June in France (excluding Mayotte). The upturn in activity, amid the continued gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions, enabled them to return to reduced activity. However, the cumulative headcount of Pôle Emploi registrants in categories A, B, and C reached an all-time high of 6.157 million.

4.4 million unemployed in category A in June

According to the data published on Monday, July 27 by the Ministry of Labour and Pôle Emploi, the number of jobseekers registered at Pôle Emploi in category A (with no activity) fell by 4.6% last month, or 204,700 people less than in May. This second monthly drop (after -3.3% in May), the largest recorded over a month since the start of this statistical series in 1996, was not enough to offset the surge in unemployment recorded over the previous two months against a backdrop of generalised lockdown in France (+7.1% in March, +22.6% in April) and the number of people registered in category A remains very high, at 4.421 million.

Historic high in categories A, B and C

As in May, this sharp decrease was mainly driven by a shift to categories B and C (jobseekers with reduced activity), and the combined number of staff in the three categories thus increased by 0.5% – i.e. 31,500 additional registrations. While this increase slowed down compared to the previous two months (+61,000 in May and +209,300 in April), the cumulative number in categories A, B and C stood at a new all-time high of 6.157 million by the end of June.

Over the quarter, from April to June, the increase remains unprecedented: +23.2% in category A to 4.407 million and +6.5% in ABC to 6.116 million.

In June, the decline in category A was across all age groups: under 25 (-4.6%), 25-49 (-5%) and 50 and over (-3.7%). It was greater among men (-5.8%) than among women (-3.3%), and was more significant on the west coast (-6.9% in Brittany), and in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur and Corsica (-7.5%).

Construction, building and public works, hotels and tourism once again took on new employees

This decline in June “is more particularly driven by the drop in the number of those looking for a job in construction and public works, and in the hotel and tourism sector”, a direct effect of the upturn in authorised activity in the latter two sectors in June, points out Dares, the statistical service of the Ministry of Labour.

As in May, when it had fallen by 3.3%, the change in the number of unemployed is mainly because of the recovery of reduced activity of jobseekers who had not worked at all in May.

This reduced activity thus increased by 13.9%, but while the short-term activity (category B, less than 78 hours per month) “almost regained its February level”, the long-term activity (category C, over 78 hours) “remains well below”.

In June, the number of entries in categories A, B and C rebounded sharply (+24.8%) and is still higher than the number of exits, even though the latter also rose strongly (+37.8%).

The growth in new entrants was due primarily to people returning from training and first-time entrants to the labour market (+41%). Registrations for economic redundancies remained low at 9 900 and almost stable.