Indeed not ideal, but somehow not surprising under Gordon Brown's tax and spend policy. I don't have the similar figures for Denmark. Sweden has managed to drastically cut down public sector spending and employment.

As I understand the Danish 'model', the principle is to attach the security to the person instead of the job, and to give the necessary attention to unemployment benefit and finding a new job. Since laying off is not a trouble area in Denmark, businesses don't hesitate hiring, so the jobless are not jobless that long. These are simplfied descriptions, and I do not have detailed information about the 'model'. The Danish job market is strongly unionised, and many things happen on concensus. Quite possibly, one cannot just copy that model to France, but parts may be usable adapted to France.