In France, unemployment among 15-24-year-olds stands at 21%, having risen by 1.6 percentage points in a year, according to figures reported by franceinfo on 10 November 2026. This rate describes a real difficulty in accessing employment, but it does not mean that 21% of all young people are unemployed: its denominator is the economically active population in this age group—that is, young people who are working or looking for a job. Those who are studying without looking for work are not included in this calculation.
This distinction helps make sense of a figure often presented as a portrait of an entire generation. The unemployment rate tells us about the situation of young people who are economically active; to find out what proportion of all 15-24-year-olds have a job, we need to look at another indicator: the employment rate.
21% of young people who are economically active, not all young people
The unemployment rate compares the number of unemployed people with the economically active population. Under the ILO definition, a person is unemployed if they have no job during the reference week, are available to work within the next two weeks and have actively looked for work during the previous four weeks, or have found a job that is due to start in less than three months. A student who is not looking for work is economically inactive for the purposes of this indicator. They are included neither in the number of unemployed people nor in the economically active population.
The distinction matters particularly among 15-24-year-olds, a period when people’s circumstances vary between education, employment and job-seeking. A high unemployment rate can coexist with a much lower employment rate without any contradiction: the two measures do not cover the same group of people. The first looks at those who are economically active; the second compares the number of people in employment with the population in that age group.
Stéphane Carcillo, a professor in the economics department at Sciences Po, cited by franceinfo, highlights this difference by comparing the current situation with that of ten years ago. The employment rate among young people, he says, was then below 30% and is now around 35%. This change offers a perspective that the unemployment rate alone does not: a greater proportion of young people have a job, even though the situation of economically active young people looking for work has recently worsened.
An indicator sensitive to economic conditions
The rate for 15-24-year-olds has risen by 1.6 percentage points in a year to reach 21%, according to figures reported by franceinfo. The programme also puts it five percentage points above the European average for under-25s. The comparison provides a benchmark, but does not describe either the different educational paths in each country or the conditions of every job.
Carcillo attributes a significant part of the fluctuations to economic conditions. When economic activity slows, young people may be more exposed because they have less experience and often work on fixed-term contracts. These contracts are temporary: they can end without being renewed, making some career paths more sensitive to downturns in the labour market.
The trend can also reverse when the economy picks up. Young people may then benefit quickly from new job opportunities. This does not mean that everyone finds work again at the same pace, or that the unemployment rate sums up the quality of the jobs on offer. It tells us about access to employment at a given point in time, not the stability of contracts, working hours or pay levels.
Comparing years without confusing circumstances
The current level is reminiscent of that recorded in 1985, when youth unemployment fluctuated between 21.5% and 23% over the course of the year, according to the International Labour Organization definition. This similarity between two rates does not mean that living conditions, education or available jobs are the same, forty years apart. It compares a statistical measure, not all the social realities surrounding it.
Carcillo cautions against concluding that public policies are ineffective simply because the rate remains high. He points to the progress made in policies supporting young people and urges people to look also at the employment rate, which is higher than it was ten years ago. An indicator can therefore point to a persistent difficulty without being enough, on its own, to assess all the measures taken to address it.
Training and access to a first job
Apprenticeships are among the routes into work cited by Carcillo. He also argues for supporting young people who do not take this route, particularly those unsure about their career direction, and for providing better information about the career opportunities associated with qualifications and training courses.
For someone choosing a direction or looking for a first job, these points have practical value: the name of a course alone does not tell you what occupations it prepares you for or what prospects there are after completing it. Considering these alongside career opportunities can help with making a choice; it does not guarantee a job. Likewise, a rise in the employment rate does not tell us whether the jobs available match people’s expectations or offer stable conditions.
The 21% figure therefore describes a difficulty among young people in France who are economically active, not the proportion of all young people without a job. The employment rate complements this picture by showing the place of work across the age group as a whole. Tracked over time and viewed in the context of economic conditions, these two measures provide a more useful picture than either one taken in isolation.
References
- franceinfo, “Youth unemployment is ‘an effect of economic conditions’, says Stéphane Carcillo”
- Insee, definition of the unemployment rate under the ILO definition
- Insee, definition of an unemployed person under the ILO definition
Employment agency in Épernay under the former Pôle emploi name. Archive photo.
