The labor market seems to remain healthy despite the war in Ukraine. In the first quarter, the number of job seekers without any activity (category A) fell by 5% throughout the territory – including overseas -, according to statistics published on Thursday by Dares – the management responsible for studies at the Ministry of Labor. This indicator is now at just over 3.19 million and even falls below the symbolic three million mark (at 2.963 million) if only variations for mainland France are taken into account, which is unprecedented. for almost a decade. So much good news for Emmanuel Macron, who is about to serve a second term, and for the outgoing government. Read also: Unemployment: is Emmanuel Macron’s record as good as he claims? The changes are favorable for all age groups, in particular for those registered in category A of Pôle Emploi who are under 25 years old: – 10.8% between the beginning of January and the end of March in France, decline being even greater over one year (–25.4%). This trend can no doubt be largely attributed to the strong growth in apprenticeships, supported by the aid granted to companies which recruit this type of labour. More or less precarious employment However, these figures are counterbalanced by another, much less positive phenomenon. The number of women and men who are looking for a job while exercising a reduced activity (categories B and C) continues to increase (+0.6% over a quarter in mainland France). It is likely that some of the people previously registered in category A left it by finding work – in many cases for a fixed term – so that they continue to report to Pôle Emploi, but in categories B and C. In other words, their situation has improved, thanks to the resumption of a more or less precarious job. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers The employment situation has greatly improved under Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term The fact that the workforce in category A continues to decline so sharply during the first three months of the he year was far from certain. Several recently published data show, in fact, that the French economy has entered a zone of uncertainty. Thus, in the first quarter, the number of declarations of hiring for more than a month, excluding temporary work, fell very slightly (-0.5%), according to Urssaf. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers “The challenge for France Travail will be to better coordinate employment players” Bertrand Bissuel