The greatest job losses have been in the construction and manufacturing industries. Conversely, the number of jobs in the tertiary sector has increased, despite considerable gains in productivity. Combating unemployment has become the chief priority of all French governments, irrespective of their colour. For several months now, there has been a slight fall in unemployment due to a combination of economic recovery and job creation schemes, particularly reduced national insurance payments for low-paid employees. Nevertheless, it must be said that France has been less successful in combating unemployment than its principal partners.
Budget deficits are another major problem.
As in neighbouring countries, sizeable deficits are a constant feature. The situation worsened sharply in the early 'nineties, but has been improving since 1994. This improvement is the result of curbs on spending by central government, local authorities and the social security system.