PARIS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Jobless rate in France was down by 0.7 percent to 8.6 percent during the last quarter of 2017 compared to third quarter, the lowest level since early 2009, official data showed Thursday.
According to the National Statistics Institute, Insee, 2.5 million people were reported jobless in French mainland over the last three months of the previous year, or less 205,000 unemployed people.
With the overseas departments taken into account, the quarterly jobless rate stood at 8.9 percent, down by 0.7 percent, it said.
Insee said the unemployment rate decreased across all age groups, particularly among young people aged from 15 to 24, which reported 1-percent fall.
From October to December, joblessness rate was 8.8 percent for men and 8.4 percent for women, down by 0.6 percent and 0.8 percent respectively.
French President Emmanuel Macron targets to lower joblessness rate to 7 percent by 2022 from 9.4 percent currently.
With the aim, he enacted legislation to lessen rigid labor rules by offering more flexibility to companies to hire and fire, and more freedom in terms of pay and working condition.
