France's Hollande gambles on jobs growth for second term bid

French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech for the opening of the Summit of Conscience for the Climate in Paris, France, ahead of the COP21 summit July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Etienne Laurent/Pool

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande, who has long pledged only run for a second term in office if unemployment was falling, has upped the stakes by saying that fall would have to be sustained throughout the year before the May 2017 vote.

The comments to reporters late on Monday came hours after data showed French jobless claims rose to a new record in June, with 3.55 million registered as out of work, from 2.89 million the month before he was elected in May 2012.