French Q3 unemployment rate rises to 9.0% from 7.1% in Q2

PARIS: France's unemployment rate rose to 9.0% in the third quarter from 7.1% in the second quarter, the INSEE national statistics office said on Tuesday, as the euro zone's second-biggest economy grapples with the hit caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

INSEE had already warned earlier this year that France's unemployment data for the first two quarters of 2020 was skewed because of the mid-March to mid-May lockdown, which reduced the number of those technically classified as unemployed since it had been impossible for them to look for jobs.

The Bank of France said earlier this week that France's economic activity was 12% lower than normal this month, after the country entered a lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus for the second time this year.