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# [RÉUNION] Labour Market Q2 2026: 152,400 Job Seekers, Unemployment Twice the National Rate
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/la-reunion-marche-du-travail-t2-2026-152-400-demandeurs-demploi-le-chomage-pese-deux-fois-plus-quen-metropole-en/
- Published: 2026-08-28T13:46:20.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-28T13:46:20.000Z
- Description: 152,400 job seekers in Réunion in Q2 2026. With 18% unemployment, the island posts a rate double that of mainland France. PEC contracts cut by 2,000 positions, adding pressure on the most vulnerable workers.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: La Réunion, emploi, Clôture, #en

**France Travail has just released the Q2 2026 labour market figures for Réunion: 152,400 job seekers registered on the island. The data confirms a persistent structural challenge — unemployment in Réunion remains chronically double the national average, with deteriorating signals in several key sectors.**

## 152,400 job seekers: relentless pressure

According to data published by the DEETS Réunion and France Travail, 152,400 people were registered as job seekers in Réunion in Q2 2026\. This volume reflects a chronically strained situation, despite relative stability in salaried employment — 294,700 salaried positions as of 31 March 2026, stable quarter-on-quarter.

The unemployment rate reached 18% of the active population in Q1 2026, up 2 percentage points year-on-year. For context, metropolitan France posted 8.1% at the same time.

## Declining sectors, falling subsidised contracts

Construction shed 100 jobs (-0.4%) and business services lost 300 positions (-1.4%) in Q1 2026\. Non-market services, by contrast, grew (+0.6% quarterly, +1.1% annually, +1,400 jobs), supported by subsidised employment policies.

Yet this is precisely the weak point: PEC employment contracts (Parcours Emploi Compétences), a key device for the most disadvantaged jobseekers, were cut by 2,000 positions due to reduced national funding allocations — a decision whose full impact will be felt in the coming months.

Apprenticeship, another integration lever, fell by 6.0% in Réunion — more sharply than the -4.4% recorded nationally.

## Tourism and temp work: rare bright spots

A few sectors stand out: hospitality and restaurants posted annual growth of +2.3%, benefiting from the island's tourism momentum. Temporary work also grew (+2.0%), signalling flexible demand, but without the stability job seekers need.

## Why it matters

Réunion's labour market is caught between two contradictory forces: growing sectors (tourism, non-market services) creating jobs on one hand, and public insertion policies contracting under national budget cuts on the other. With 18% structural unemployment and 152,400 registered job seekers, Réunion remains one of France's most economically vulnerable territories. The issue is not merely cyclical — it is systemic, and the next budget decisions in Paris will be decisive for 2027.

*Sources: France Travail / DEETS Réunion — Q2 2026 Labour Market Report (Linfo.re, August 2026)*