Unemployment in France hit a new record in October, with official statistics showing 3.46 million people claiming jobless benefits.
The figures, released on Thursday, showed a rise of 28,400 people on the jobless queue compared to the previous month and came as President Francois Hollande marks the midway point in his troubled mandate.
The unemployment numbers were up 0.8 per cent compared to September and 5.5 per cent in comparison to th e previous year.
In a mid-term interview earlier this month, Hollande said he would not stand again for the French presidency in 2017 if he had not managed to live up to his promise to bring down unemployment by then.
France's economy is barely growing, showing a gain of 0.3 per cent in the third quarter.
The government is Paris has forecast 0.4 per cent growth for the full year.
Many economists believe an average of 1.5 per cent growth is needed to reduce unemployment.