PARIS (Reuters) - The number of people out of work in France rose again in February after a short-lived decline the previous month as the euro zone's second-biggest economy struggles to revive its job market.
The Labour Ministry said on Wednesday that the number of registered job seekers in mainland France rose by 12,800 last month to 3,494,400, up 0.4 percent over one month and 4.6 percent over one year.
With the total close to an all-time high, the increase shows gradually improving economic data have yet to translate into job market gains. Data published earlier Wednesday showed business confidence at the highest level in nearly three years.
President Francois Hollande and his Socialist government have seen their ratings slump as they struggled to live up to promises to get unemployment falling.