The number of job seekers in category A fell by 0.9% in January

The number of job seekers in category A (without activity) fell by 0.9% in January, or 34,600 fewer registered, to 3.79 million, according to figures from the Dares released Thursday .

Including reduced activity (categories B and C), the number of job seekers in France (excluding Mayotte) was almost stable in January (+ 0.1%, or +3,600) and stood at 6 million, according to the statistical service of the Ministry of Labor.

Unemployment at a high level

These monthly statistics are published without comment on the Dares website, which has decided to return to an analysis of quarterly developments, less volatile, as before the health crisis.

For category A, the decrease concerns both men (-0.8%) and women (-1%), as well as all age groups, in particular 25-49 year olds (-1%).

But the level of category A job seekers remains at a high level and is 8.8% above its pre-crisis level.

The number of job seekers in category B and C increased (+38,300, or + 1.7%) to 2.2 million.

The latest quarterly results published at the end of January showed in the fourth quarter of 2020 a decrease in the number of unemployed in category A of 2.7% compared to the previous quarter.

For 2020, under the effect of the Covid-19 crisis, the increase in the number of unemployed reached 7.5%, with 265,400 additional registrants in the 4th quarter of 2020 compared to the 4th quarter of 2019.