(Corrects quarter headline and paragraph

PARIS (Reuters – France’s unemployment rate fell in the first quarter, to the lowest in 14 years. Official data was released Tuesday. The news gives President Emmanuel Macron a boost in advance of the forthcoming legislative elections.

According to INSEE stats agency, the unemployment rate fell from 7.4% to 7.3% over the past three months. According to Reuters, 10 economists predicted that the rate would stay unchanged in a poll.

The unemployment level was at its lowest since the first quarter 2008, with an exception of an unrepresentative drop that occurred during the outbreak of the pandemic. This is due to the fact that jobseekers couldn’t find work while there was a national lockdown.

Macron’s slight improvements will be good news, having been reelected last month for another five-year term. He is now preparing for the June legislative elections, which will determine whether he will have a majority of elected representatives to run for office.