The French labour market shed nearly 80,000 jobs in February, dpa quoted the Labour Ministry as announcing today. As a result of the tenth consecutive monthly rise in French unemployment, more than 2.38 million active job-seekers are now registered as unemployed in France. The announcement follows France's worst-ever monthly increase in unemployment in January, when more than 90,000 new jobless were registered. The French government is predicting the loss of some 300,000 jobs for 2009, but many observers feel that this forecast is far too optimistic. The weekly Le Canard Enchainee reported todday that President Nicolas Sarkozy is saying privately that as many as 1 million jobs could be lost this year.
