Emmanuel Macron tells unemployed man he could easily find work if he only 'crossed the street'

'Everywhere I go people say to me that they are looking for staff', French president says

Emmanuel Macron met members of the public at the Elysee Palace (REUTERS)

Emmanuel Macron has been criticised for telling an unemployed man he could easily find a job if he “crossed the street”.

The French president told the 25-year-old aspiring gardener to change careers and instead look for a job in catering or construction.

The man approached Mr Macron during a cultural event at the Elysee Palace on Saturday and said he had sent out resumes and cover letters which hadn’t “lead to anything”.

“If you are ready and motivated, in hotels, cafes and construction, everywhere I go people say to me that they are looking for staff,” Mr Macron replied, according to local media reports, translated by the BBC.

“I can find you a job just by crossing the street,” he added.

He then told the man to look for a job in a cafe in the Montparnasse area, saying: “Frankly I’m sure that one or two of them are recruiting at the moment. Get going!”

Footage of the encounter was shared on social media and critics accused Mr Macron of showing a lack of empathy and being disconnected from reality.

Earlier this year, footage of the French premier admonishing a teenager who called him “Manu”, a diminutive of his first name, was shared widely and polarised opinion.

In the video, the boy sang part of the socialist anthem “The International,” in an apparent jibe at Mr Macron’s pro-business policies, then asked: “How’s it going, Manu?”

Mr Macron replied: “No, you can’t do that.

“You’re here, at an official ceremony and you should behave. You can play the fool but today it’s ‘the Marseillaise’, ‘the Chant des Partisans’, so you call me ‘Mr President’ or ‘sir’. Okay? There you go.”

He added: “The day you want to start a revolution, you study first in order to obtain a degree and feed yourself, okay? And then you can lecture others.”