French unions have rejected a proposal for labor reforms from employers. The government has pledged to implement labor reforms by early next year even if no agreement is reached. The unions rejected the deal because of a lack of improvements to job security. Some of the unions say that they are unlikely to reach a deal by the government's deadline. Economists say that France's hiring and firing productions are a problem for competition, and need to be changed.
See "French unions say deal far off in labor reform talks", Nicholas Vinocur, Reuters, November 15, 2012