Hollande said this during a rare appearance on television on Thursday, on French television’s TF-1 TV channel, when summing up the first two-and-a-half years of his presidency, according to Russia’s information agency TASS.
"If I do not succeed [in reducing unemployment] by the end of my mandate, do you think I will be able to stand in front of the French people in 2017?" he said when answering a question from a member of the French public during an extended interview in a television studio.
"The French people are unyielding, and they would be right," Hollande continued.
One of the key promises of his presidency campaign was curbing unemployment in the country, which continues to be the priority task for him.
"I was talking about how to reverse the rising unemployment curve,” the president said.
“It did not happen, and I place the blame on myself, because for many of those who were looking for a job, that promise brought hope."
After Hollande won the French presidential elections in May 2012, the number of unemployed in the country has increased by more than 500,000 people. By the end of September, the number of people without a permanent job reached a record high 3.34 million people.
