French Jobless Claims Spike to Record High 

(Bloomberg) -- The number of jobless claims in France surged to a record high in April, even as the government poured tens of billions of euros into a furlough program to keep people in work. The number of category A job seekers -- defined as full-time unemployed -- rose 22.6% from the end of March, mainly due to part-time workers ceasing all activity and as people who finished fixed-term contracts struggled to find new employment. The sectors most affected by the spike in jobless claims include retail, tourism, hotels, transport, logistics and construction.

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