Workers wanted - French jobs unfilled despite high unemployment

A wheeled excavator and a telescopic handler manufactured by JC Bamford Excavators Ltd. (JCB) are pictured at the JCB France headquarters in Sarcelles, near Paris, France, May 22, 2017. Picture taken May 22, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

SARCELLES, France (Reuters) - France, troubled for years by high unemployment, is now grappling with a lack of qualified workers. While it still has 3.5 million registered jobseekers, a growing number of positions lie unfilled because companies can't find the right people.

Many company bosses are pinning their hopes on newly-elected President Emmanuel Macron, and specifically his labour reform plans, to help find willing and able workers.