Lagarde expects unemployment to rise less than 0.7%
Rising unemployment in France in February was weaker than in January, according to Economy Minister Christine Lagarde.
"In February it increased less than in January," she said on RMC and BFM TV a few hours of the publication of statistics.
"Unemployment will rise very slightly.I note a stabilization. "
In January, the number of jobseekers in category A had increased by 19,500 to 2,664,600, a monthly increase of 0.7%, while it remained stable in December.
By adding job seekers engaged in a Pool (Class B and C) was higher than 15,900 persons or 0.4%.
Figures for February will be published at 18:00 by the Ministry of Economy and employment center.
The number of jobseekers registered in category A increased 418,000 over the whole of 2009, an increase of 18.7% over the year.
Employment center expects a net reduction this year but the figure would further increase of 94,000, according to its forecast released Tuesday.
The number of unemployed in category A, ie actively seeking employment and engaging in any activity, then decrease of 38,000 in 2011.
The unemployment rate in the direction of the International Labor was 9.6% at the end of the fourth quarter of 2009 in metropolitan France and the center Employment sees 9.8% at end 2010, before a decline to 9.6% in 2011.
INSEE will announce Thursday its own forecasts for the unemployment rate.