Unemployment Benefits in France
France Travail pays the unemployment allowance (ARE) to people who worked at least 6 months in the last 24 (36 if 53 or over) and register with it; the RSA from the CAF or MSA is the minimum income for those 25 and over with low resources. Health costs stay reimbursed when out of work.
✓ From official pages ✓ Each part says when we checked
At a glance
France Travail (on behalf of Unédic)
France Travail for jobseekers (free service plus call price); from abroad + 33 1 77 86 39 49
The job market in France
The International Labour Organization's estimates put France 129th lowest of 183 countries for unemployment in 2025; the world's rate was 4.9%.
France's unemployment rate over the years · every country, ranked
What to do first
- Register with the public employment service, France Travail. Official page
- Apply for Return-to-work allowance (allocation d'aide au retour à l'emploi, ARE): register with France Travail within 12 months of the end of the employment contract, then update your situation (actualisation) every month. Official page
- Keep up with the job-search rule while you claim (below), and keep a record of where you applied.
- Search the government's job listings on France Travail job offers. Official page
- See whether you can get Revenu de solidarité active (RSA). Official page
- Questions: call 3949 (France Travail for jobseekers (free service plus call price); from abroad + 33 1 77 86 39 49).
Return-to-work allowance (allocation d'aide au retour à l'emploi, ARE)
Who can get it. People who lost their job involuntarily and worked at least 6 months (130 days or 910 hours) in the last 24 months (36 months from age 53), registered with France Travail.
How much. Gross daily amount: fixed part of 13,18 € plus 40,4 % of the daily reference wage (SJR), not less than 57 % and not more than 75 % of the SJR.
For how long. At most 548 calendar days at the opening of rights (under 53, contracts ending from 1 February 2023, after the current 25% reduction).
How to claim. Register with France Travail within 12 months of the end of the employment contract, then update your situation (actualisation) every month.
From an official page, read October 26, 2026.
Looking for work while you claim
Claimants must carry out positive and repeated acts to find a job, and declare any return to work in the monthly update.
Reporting. Monthly update (actualisation) with France Travail.
From an official page, read October 26, 2026.
Keep my work search record for France
Free. It lists where you applied and what else you did to look for work, each line ready to copy into the form you report on. It is your own record: we send nothing to any government.
Help finding work
- The public employment service: France Travail
- The government's job listings: France Travail job offers
Revenu de solidarité active (RSA)
Minimum income for people aged 25 or over with modest resources, paid by the CAF (or MSA for the agricultural scheme); the amount for a single person is 651,69 €.
From an official page, read October 26, 2026.
Health cover between jobs
Health costs continue to be reimbursed when you are not working (universal health protection, PUMa, for stable and regular residents).
From an official page, read October 26, 2026.
Who to call
France Travail for jobseekers (free service plus call price); from abroad + 33 1 77 86 39 49: 3949.
From an official page, read October 26, 2026.
Questions
Is there unemployment benefit in France?
Yes: Return-to-work allowance (allocation d'aide au retour à l'emploi, ARE), paid by France Travail (on behalf of Unédic).
How much is unemployment benefit in France?
Gross daily amount: fixed part of 13,18 € plus 40,4 % of the daily reference wage (SJR), not less than 57 % and not more than 75 % of the SJR.
How long does unemployment benefit last in France?
At most 548 calendar days at the opening of rights (under 53, contracts ending from 1 February 2023, after the current 25% reduction).
How do I claim unemployment benefit in France?
Register with France Travail within 12 months of the end of the employment contract, then update your situation (actualisation) every month.
Do I have to look for work while I claim in France?
Claimants must carry out positive and repeated acts to find a job, and declare any return to work in the monthly update.
Who do I call about unemployment in France?
France Travail for jobseekers (free service plus call price); from abroad + 33 1 77 86 39 49: 3949.
Where can I get help finding a job in France?
The public employment service is France Travail. The government lists jobs on France Travail job offers.
Nearby countries
Austria
Belgium
Germany
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Monaco
Netherlands
Switzerland
Where this comes from
Every part of this page was read on an official website, and each links the page it came from and the day we checked it. Rules and amounts change, so check that page before you rely on a figure. Jobareer is not part of any government and cannot see or change a claim.
See also: unemployment rate by country · France's unemployment rate · unemployment in the US, state by state.