A July 3-8 survey of 16 economists projects France's 2026 unemployment rate at
8.2%, the highest since 2019. If realized, the reading would raise concerns
about the vulnerability of the eurozone's second-largest economy. Weakness
preceded the outbreak of the war in Iran: unemployment in Q1 climbed to a
five-year high and Q1 GDP posted the first quarterly contraction since the COVID
pandemic.