French unions and employer groups began negotiations on youth employment on Wednesday, November 4, amid concerns about precarious work, low wages, housing difficulties and uncertain career prospects for young people. The talks come as high school and university students have been mobilizing for more than a month, and one day before a new cost-of-living protest called by major labor organizations.
The unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 stood at 21.6% in the second quarter, up 2.5 percentage points year over year. That was well above the 8.3% rate for the working-age population as a whole.
A further indicator shows that 13.3% of people aged 15 to 29 were NEET—meaning they were not in employment, education or training. The group includes young people who are unemployed, have left school, or are persistently disconnected from the labor market.
Despite successive governments under Emmanuel Macron introducing multiple measures to address the issue, France continues to lag behind several European partners on youth employment.
Sources: Le Monde Économie.