July 31, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 15, 1428

PARIS, July 30: French unemployment decreased to 8 per cent of the workforce in June, preliminary figures released on Monday by the economy, finance and unemployment ministry showed.

The seasonally-corrected result, which saw the number of jobless fall by 24,500 bore witness to a “real improvement of the situation in the labour market,” Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said.

France suffers from chronic high unemployment which international observers and French business groups say is partly the result of rigid labour laws that protect workers but discourage employers from hiring.

In June, a total of 1,962,700 people were registered as looking actively for full-time work, falling below the symbolic level of two million.

The figure of 8pc corresponds to standards established by the International Labour Organisation, but would likely be challenged by French associations which accuse the government of removing unemployed workers from national registers.-AFP