France's unemployment number increased to a total of 4.5 million people in April due to the coronavirus-related lockdown introduced in mid-March, the French Labor Ministry announced on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) France's unemployment number increased to a total of 4.5 million people in April due to the coronavirus-related lockdown introduced in mid-March, the French Labor Ministry announced on Thursday.
"In April 2020, in France (excluding Mayotte), the number of jobseekers in Category A (i.e. not having worked at all during the month) increased by 843,000 (+22.6 %, after +7.1% in the previous month) and reached 4,575,500," the statement read.
According to the ministry, individuals who have temporary work or who are on short-term contracts are most likely to be most affected by the economic slowdown.
The Ministry of Labor noted in a separate statement that, considering all figures, the partial unemployment system has proven itself worthy in the protection of employers and workers.
The French government has set up a partial activity scheme in order to prevent massive layoffs caused by the COVID-19 related restrictions. Under this program companies receive state-guaranteed loans that substantially cover their employees' wages. The scheme also works for self-employed people.
The Ministry of Labor also indicated that the historic increase of jobseekers in category A was predictable, taking into account the health crisis and April being a full lockdown month.
As of Thursday, the French authorities have reported 183,038 COVID-19 infections, the world's seventh-highest total, with 28,599 related fatalities.
