France's unemployment rate dropped to 8.2 percent last month, hitting a 24-year low, the employment ministry said in its latest report.

The unemployment rate stood at 8.2 percent in April, down by 1.1 percentage points year on year and representing the lowest level since 1983, the ministry said.

Registered job seekers totaled 2.01 million in April, according to the report. France's job seekers exceeded 2 million in 1983 and the number has since been growing.

Although France's jobless rate dropped, it is still the highest in the eurozone. France's new President Nicolas Sarkozy has promised to continue the free market economy and urged tax cuts for enterprises to spur growth and cut the unemployment rate.

In recent years the French government has taken a host of measures to encourage employers to hire more people, including easing the procedures for hiring people and providing free training to those out of work for a long time.

Source: Xinhua