French unemployment numbers drop
The number of unemployed in France saw a surprise drop in June, official figures showed on Monday, but a top French official warned of "difficult" months ahead for unemployment.
After 11 consecutive months of rising numbers, the numbers of people without a job went down by 18,600 in the month to 2,524,500, the figures showed.
But the overall number of unemployed was up 25.7 percent from June 2008.
France's junior employment minister Laurent Wauquiez said the numbers were "a nice surprise" but said there would still be "difficult" times ahead.
"I don't think we've come out of the crisis," he told AFP.
French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said the unemployment figures were "an encouraging sign," adding however that "even a gradual recovery of economic activity will not lead to an immediate scaling back of unemployment.”
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