“The IMF said the jobless rate will rise yet further to 11.6pc in 2014 and will not drop below 10.6pc within Mr Hollande’s five-year term. If this grim scenario unfolds, it will be a political hammer blow for Mr Hollande. He asked the nation to judge him on his record in ‘bending the unemployment curve’. The Fund said efforts to bring down the budget deficit should focus on spending cuts rather than fresh taxes, ‘which are among the highest by international standards and have a negative effect on investment and job creation’. Two-thirds of Mr Hollande’s fiscal squeeze has come from taxes, to the fury of the business lobby Medef.”
