France's youth employment rate for individuals aged 15 to 24 was 35% in 2025, according to Dares, the statistical service of the Ministry of Labor. This places France at the average for the European Union and ranks it 8th among EU member states. While the rate has improved since 2018, it remains much lower than top-performing countries like the Netherlands (76%), Denmark (60%), and Germany (51%). Dares notes that structural issues in France’s labor market make it difficult for young people to transition from education to employment. The increase in France's youth employment rate since 2005 is largely credited to an apprenticeship reform that boosted the rate by five percentage points since 2018. Under President Emmanuel Macron, the number of apprentices in France surpassed one million in 2023. However, recent reductions in apprenticeship programs have been made due to financial constraints on public budgets. The 2025 data also reveal that 11% of young people in France are neither in employment, education, nor training—a category known as NEET—which is considered particularly high. To address these challenges, the Minister of Labor, Jean-Pierre Farandou, has proposed a plan to increase the youth employment rate to 40% by 2030. However, the plan does not include additional financial resources, raising questions about its feasibility. Beyond the youth demographic, France's overall employment rate for those aged 15 to 64 was 69% in 2025, two percentage points below the European average. This places France in 21st place among European countries. The employment rate for those aged 60 to 64 in France was 44%, which is 11 percentage points below the European average. Despite this gap, France has seen notable improvements in this age group’s employment rate over the past two decades. These figures highlight both progress and persistent challenges in France’s labor market, particularly for young people and older workers.