PARIS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- France's unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage point to 8.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026, reaching its highest level since the first quarter of 2021, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) said on Wednesday.

The Champs-Elysees Avenue is lit by Christmas season lights in Paris, France, Nov. 19, 2023. (File photo: Xinhua)

According to INSEE, the number of unemployed people in France, as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO), increased by 68,000 from the previous quarter to reach 2.6 million in the first quarter of 2026. The unemployment rate rose by 0.7 percentage point year on year.

Over the past year, the unemployment rate increased across all age groups, rising by 2.0 percentage points among people aged 15 to 24, by 0.6 point among those aged 25 to 49, and 0.4 point among people aged 50 and above.

Women's unemployment rate remained broadly stable during the quarter, edging up 0.1 point to 7.7 percent, while men's unemployment rate rose by 0.3 point to 8.5 percent, its highest level since the first quarter of 2021.

French Minister of Public Action and Accounts David Amiel said Tuesday in an interview with TV channel France 2 that the unemployment rate remained significantly lower than those in 2016 and 2017, while the employment rate was at its highest level in 50 years.

The rise in unemployment was linked to an increase in the active population, news channel France 24 quoted French economist Eric Heyer as saying, adding that the economy is not creating enough jobs to absorb new entrants into the labor market.