Despite the rise in the number of unemployed, the unemployment rate fell in the first quarter of the current year to 16.2% (compared with 16.4% in the fourth quarter of 2023 and 16.1% in the first quarter of 2023), mainly due to the increase in the number of people in work.
According to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), the number of unemployed was estimated at 669,300 at the end of March, compared with 667,500 in the fourth quarter of 2023.
In terms of gender, the unemployment rate fell slightly for men (13.6% compared with 13.8% in the fourth quarter of 2023) and for women (22.0% compared with 22.2% in the fourth quarter of 2023).
The unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24 also dropped, reaching 39.2% (compared with 40.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 40.2% in the first quarter of 2023). This rate breaks down into 39.5% for men and 38.7% for women.
For tertiary graduates, the unemployment rate rose slightly to 23.4% in the first quarter of 2024 (compared with 23.2% in the fourth quarter of 2023 and 23.1% in the first quarter of 2023). This rate is 13.8% for men and 31.2% for women.
Evolution of number of people in work
The number of people in work rose by 59,700 to 3.476 million in the first quarter of 2024, compared with 3.416 million in the fourth quarter of the same year.
This population is unevenly distributed between the sexes: 2.494 million men and 981,600 women, representing 71.8% and 28.2% respectively of the working population.
In the first quarter of 2024, the economically active population rose to 4.145 million, compared with 4.083 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 61,500 persons.
This population is made up of 2.887 million men and 1.258 million women, representing 69.7% and 30.3% respectively of the total working population.
This increase in the working population in the first quarter of 2024 corresponds to an increase of 0.5 percentage points in the activity rate, which reached 46.3% of the working age population (over 15 years old), compared to 45.8% in the previous quarter.
