Statistics released by the government Thursday showed that French unemployment rose above 3 million during the second quarter. Yet, despite numbers hitting the record a record level, the unemployment rate rose by only 0.1 percentage point to 10.5 percent. Overall, the rate has climbed 0.7 percentage points since last August. Many government officials lauded Thursday's report as a suggestion that the downturn in unemployment is beginning to slow.
See "French unemployment rises above 3.0 mn", France 24, September 4, 2013