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)