French dole queues STILL twice as long as UK’s

UNEMPLOYMENT in France has fallen to a five-year low – but is still more than twice as high as in the UK where dole queues are the shortest for 42 years.

Official figures showed the jobless rate in France fell from 9.6pc to 9.5pc in the second quarter of the year, the lowest rate since 2012, but was still more than double the UK’s jobless rate of 4.4pc. The last time it was lower was 1975.

By contrast, the jobless rate across vast swathes of the single currency bloc has remained high, particularly among the young, sparking fears of a lost generation who may never find regular work. New French president Emmanuel Macron has made revamping the labour market a top priority.

And there are signs the eurozone economy is picking up pace, growing by 0.6pc in the second quarter of the year, compared with growth of 0.3pc in the UK.