At least 1,400 people took to the streets on Saturday in Paris to highlight the difficulties suffered by the unemployed and those precariously employed since France was struck by the economic crisis in 2008.
The demonstration went through residential quarters from northern Paris and gathered more and more people. Police said there were around 1,400 persons in the rally, but the demonstration organizer, the National Movement for Unemployment and Precarious Employment (MNCP), said 5,000 people participated in the protest.
The peaceful demonstrators marched with different flags representing several labor unions and placards, urging the government to guarantee job access for every citizen and raise salary for workers.
According to official statistics, the number of jobless people in October surged by more than 50,000, bringing the total unemployed population
in the French mainland to 2.63 million and pushing the country's unemployment rate close to 9.3 percent.