The number of jobseekers in French mainland rose to more than 3.132 million in November, reaching the highest level since 1997, figures released by the employment ministry showed on Thursday.

Last month, 29,300 unemployed people entered the domestic job market, up by 0.9 percent from October data or by 10.8 percent compared to a year before.

If taking into account the overseas departments and workers of reducing activities, there were more than 4.617 million people that registered at employment center over the period.

Expecting "a great battle for jobs", French President Francois Hollande reiterated his promise to reduce the peak of post-crisis rampant unemployment in one year thanks to hundreds of thousands of government-sponsored contracts to poorly qualified youngsters from city suburbs and rural areas.

"My objective is to ensure that unemployment, which rose continuously during nearly two years, declines. By the end of 2013, we must reverse the unemployment curve," the president said during a visit to the country's largest food market of Rungis.

"I have during the holidays period to tell French people that we should all be on deck to work and fight against unemployment," he added.