The number of unemployed fell by 74,000 in France, down 0.3 points compared to the first quarter to 9.9%, according to the Insee statistical institute.

The unemployment rate finally fell below the 10% mark that the deeply unpopular President Francois Hollande has been targeting. The unemployment rate continues the decline it began in the third quarter of 2015. In one year, the unemployment rate has fallen by 0.5 points.

All ages have benefited from this improvement, but this is even more pronounced among young people (-0.4 points on a quarter), an age group particularly affected by short contracts. However, the fall in the number of jobless is unlikely to work to the benefit of the President’s poll ratings, with 88 percent of voters disapproving of his performance at the start of July.