Unemployment in France was higher than many other European countries before the euro crisis began.

But in the last year, the number of people out of work has climbed by more than 5 percent.

New figures suggest in November alone, an extra 30,000 people were looking for work taking the overall unemployment figure to a 12 year high of 9.3 percent.

The under-25s and over-50s are the worst affected. 53-year-old Isabelle Léger is a former engineer who has been out of work for two years.

“Of course I’m very demoralised but what can I do? My skills are becoming outdated and there are things I can’t do anymore because of my age. Things I could do when I was 30 but not at 50,” she said.

The unemployment figures deal a fresh blow to French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s re-election hopes for the spring.

Analysts are concerned the euro crisis could push the jobless figure above 10 percent next year.