French protest unemployment

Protesters have staged a demonstration in Paris to protest the climbing unemployment rate and a severe job crunch across the country, Press TV reports.

Protesters chanted slogans, blaming the French government for its persisting failure in creating new employment opportunities and halting the outsourcing of jobs.

Experts warn that small budgets are pushing younger generations towards a compromise on a balanced diet. Moreover, the rate of unemployment among the youth has surpassed 20 percent.

The opposition in the French parliament has blamed the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy for failure to act on the issue, making the French public compensate for the loss of the stock markets.

“The scandal is that while unemployment levels are up by 1.2 percent compared to last year, stock markets are up by five percent. We have proposed solutions, but the government is sitting idle, doing nothing and instead it is making the common men pay for the losses of the stock markets,” member of French Communist Party, Roland Muzeau said.

The government, however, denies such charges but admits that it has to look for more solutions.

“Of course, I know we have responsibility, but before blaming us, one has to understand that we are facing particularly hard times all over Europe. The factors causing such higher unemployment are beyond our control,” said Elie Aboud, member of France’s UMP ruling party.

President Sarkozy has promised to hold an employment summit with all trade unions next year. Yet, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has already warned that the French unemployment rate will cross the 10 percent threshold in 2012.