The labor market deteriorated in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the latest data published by France Travail and the Dares. The number of job seekers with no employment (category A) increased by 2,6% over the quarter, reaching 3,3 million people, an increase of 84,200. Year-on-year, the rise is even more pronounced, at 6,8%, confirming a downturn after several more stable quarters.
If we combine categories A, B, and C (job seekers required to actively look for work, with or without reduced activity), the total now approaches 5,7 million. Over the quarter, the combined A+B+C category increased by 1%, and by 4,8% for the year 2025, a level that fuels concerns about the strength of the economic recovery.
RSA reform and the decrease in radiation: a more complex statistical analysis
Statistical services, however, caution that these changes should be interpreted with care. Since January 1, 2025, the automatic registration of RSA (Revenu de Solidarité Active - Active Solidarity Income) recipients in the France Travail (French National Employment Agency) database has structurally altered the figures. In addition, the reform of the sanctions system, which came into effect in June 2025, has led to a dramatic drop in deregistration, from approximately 45,000 in the first quarter to just 2,300 in the last three months of the year.
These two factors make comparisons more difficult and mechanically inflate the number of registered job seekers. To isolate the true dynamics of the labor market, the Dares therefore publishes a "corrected" version of the reform's effects.
A confirmed “cyclical” increase, a sign of a strained labor market
Even after adjustments, the Dares (French Directorate for Research, Studies and Statistics) notes a cyclical increase: category A rose by 2% over the quarter and by 1,7% year-on-year, representing an increase of approximately 40,000 people. For categories A, B, and C combined, the adjusted increase is 1,6% year-on-year, indicating that the rise is not solely due to administrative factors.
According to analysts, this trend reflects a tightening of the economic situation in a slowed and politically unstable context at the end of 2025. Despite biases related to reforms, the adjusted series point to a reality: unemployment is rising again and pressure on employment is returning.
