France unemployment rate (25-64 years): lower secondary
France unemployment rate (25-64 years): lower secondary stood at 12.6% in Q2 2026, according to Eurostat – labour market slack by sex and age, quarterly (lfsi_sla_q). It is one of the indicators in the Labour market indicators (Eurostat) table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 1998 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Labour market indicators (Eurostat) table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All education levels | 6.6 | 6.8 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 6 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 6 | 6.5 | |
| Lower secondary education or less (ISCED 0-2) | 12.6 | 12.2 | 12.9 | 11.9 | 11.8 | 12.1 | 11.4 | 11 | 10.5 | 12.2 | |
| Upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED 3-4) | 6.8 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 6.8 |
Understanding france unemployment rate (25-64 years): lower secondary
Joblessness among prime-age adults aged twenty-five to sixty-four whose highest educational attainment is lower secondary schooling or basic foundational instruction is captured in this specific demographic layer. It calculates the proportion of active jobseekers with minimal educational credentials within the prime working demographic, excluding all individuals who attained upper secondary or tertiary qualifications. This cohort represents mature workers facing structural challenges due to shifting industrial demands for routine skills. Younger cohorts, seniors, and educated peers are completely omitted.
Evaluating these figures requires understanding that long-term technological and automation trends heavily impact this group, creating persistent structural joblessness that resists short-term economic stimulus. Early estimates can experience revisions as labour force survey sample weights are adjusted against population registers. Analysts should examine multi-year trends rather than quarter-on-quarter movements to assess structural skill mismatches accurately. Comparing this rate with prime-age tertiary joblessness exposes the profound employment vulnerability associated with basic educational attainment among mature adults.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is included in this prime-age, low-education demographic?
- Adults aged twenty-five to sixty-four whose highest schooling milestone is lower secondary education or less.
- Why is unemployment typically higher in this educational tier for mature workers?
- Automation and industrial restructuring frequently reduce demand for routine tasks requiring minimal formal credentials.
- Are individuals in government retraining programs counted as unemployed?
- If they are without a job, available to work, and actively searching for a position, they remain counted as unemployed.