More people were unemployed in France in October than ever before, data showed on Thursday, highlighting continued weak activity in the euro zone's second-largest economy, reports Reuters.
The labour ministry said the jobless total in mainland France rose by 28,400 to 3,460,900, a 0.8 percent increase over one month and 5.5 percent over one year.
President François Hollande has seen his popularity fall to the lowest ratings in French polling history, with a key factor being his failure to live up to promises to tackle unemployment.
The jobless increase in October was the biggest monthly rise since February, when the total rose by 31,500. It came after a rise in September which wiped out a slight fall in unemployment in August.
The French government had been counting on a pick-up in business activity in the second half but has cut its 2014 economic growth estimate to 0.4 percent from 1.0 percent previously after the economy stagnated in the first half.