French jobless total climbs towards all-time high in February

PARIS, March 26 (Reuters) - The number of people out of work in France rose for the 22nd month in a row in February to within sight of an all-time high, adding to pressure on President Francois Hollande over his pledges to boost jobs and create growth.

Labour ministry data showed on Tuesday that the number of registered jobseekers in mainland France rose by 18,400 from January, or 0.6 percent, to 3.188 million.

The figure, which marked a 10.8 percent increase over a year ago, brought the jobless total to its highest since June 1997.

With plant closures and layoffs almost daily in the news, the chances are rising that France will soon break the previous record of 3.196 million jobseekers reached in January 1997.

Elected last May to revive the economy and get people back into jobs, Hollande promised to get unemployment falling before the end of this year.

The ministry's data is the most frequently reported domestic jobs indicator for France, although it is not prepared according to International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards nor expressed as a percentage of job seekers in the work force.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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Keywords: FRANCE ECONOMY/UNEMPLOYMENT