The French labor market is showing worsening signs, with unemployment reaching 8.3% at the end of June and expected to keep rising, according to Le Monde. The number of people registered with France Travail rose 0.9% in the third quarter. Young people are also affected: registrations among those under 25 in categories A, B and C increased 3.4% year on year.
Grandes écoles graduates are not shielded from the trend. One quarter of those who graduated in 2025 were not employed six months later, according to the Conférence des grandes écoles, Le Monde reports.
Swedish employer-branding firm Universum published two studies on October 29 that point to a shift in priorities. One surveyed 100,000 students across nine major economies, including 19,000 in France. The other questioned 6,560 French executives who graduated from the same types of schools, with commerce, engineering and IT tracks distinguished; two-thirds of those executives were between 24 and 39.
Salary remains a priority for students worldwide and in France, and it stays at the top for working executives. But job security is gaining ground. Between 2025 and 2026, employer reputation rose 7 points among the priorities cited by executives, while job security gained 5 points among business school graduates and 4 points among engineers. For employees, job security means a financially healthy company and lasting contracts, according to the article. The meaning of work and societal and environmental commitments appear lower among selection criteria.
Sources: Le Monde Économie.