SOCIETE

One employee in five
Around 20 percent of the workforce is employed in one of the three civil services (government, local government or hospitals) and last year, government civil service positions accounted for more than 2 million jobs (up by 1,300 over 1994). The government plans to reduce the civil servant workforce in order to decrease public expenditures and respect the Maastricht Treaty requirements.

Pets
In France, a country populated by 58.3 humans, around two households in three own a pet, and about one family in two has at least a dog or a cat. The territory counts 7.8 million dogs and 8.2 million cats, plus six million fish and one million rodents.

Illegal aliens
A parliamentary report on illegal immigration, made public on April 16, has sparked off a debate in France. The report proposes an extension of detention time for illegal aliens from 10 to 45 days, systematic fingerprinting, and the creation of files on the people with whom new immigrants are staying. Moreover, it calls three controversial issues into question: immigrantsi rights to medical treatment, their rights to education, and the ban on deporting people under 18. Prime Minister Alain Juppe declared that some of the measures were questionable and that no legislation is planned for the moment. According to a poll, only 33 percent of French people favor stricter laws against illegal immigration, while 49 percent would like to see current laws better applied.

97.7 percent
of high school students study English, 41.9 percent German, 40.6 percent Spanish, and 9.8 percent Italian. The survey found that 36 percent of them spend time studying abroad.

North Pole on foot
A four-member French expedition reached the North Pole on April 25 after a nearly two-month journey in the icy Arctic region. The soldiers traveled on skis without any motorized help or sled dogs. The objective of the expedition was to collect information regarding army equipment requirements and human reactions to Arctic cold.