The number of unemployed people in France rose by 68,000 from the previous quarter to 2.6 million, INSEE said, Reuters reported.
French President Emmanuel Macron, a former investment banker, has brought in numerous reforms in a bid to lower the unemployment rate which had been stubbornly high for decades.
Bank of France chief Francois Villeroy acknowledged the numbers were disappointing but downplayed the concern in an interview with broadcaster franceinfo.
"Around 8% isn’t exactly satisfying news," but France had added around 4 million jobs since 2010, Villeroy said.