It is a sad observation made by INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) on the young French department which will celebrate its tenth anniversary next April.
Compared to mainland France, where the employment rate is 63.4%, it drops to 29.5% in Mayotte. But it’s difficult to get a true reflection of reality when you know that about two out of three businesses are informal and that the employment of illegals is by definition undeclared!
Suddenly the official figures are cold in the back with an average income of 3,140 euros per year against 21,000 in Metropolitan France, or 77% of the (official) population below the poverty line. Galloping demography (+ 3.8% population growth per year with 7 out of 10 children born to foreign mothers, often in an irregular situation) and a GDP of barely 2 billion euros for 256,000 inhabitants (declared), complete the disturbing figures.
We can better understand the regular calls for help from MP Kamardine in the Assembly.