(Rewrites with comments from minister)
PARIS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - France's headline unemployment rose in July by less than the 20,000 to 30,000 reported in Le Figaro newspaper, Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday.
The data is due to be released by her ministry at 1600 GMT.
The newspaper did not give a source for the figures but leaked data in the French media is often accurate.
Asked about the numbers on RMC radio, Lagarde said: "I have a vague idea but it's a lot less."
The total showed the first monthly fall in a year in June, dropping by 18,6000 from the previous month to 2,524,500 but the government warned at the time that there was still no sign of a turnaround in the labour market.
The economy ministry data is not prepared according to the widely used International Labour Organisation standards and does not include an unemployment rate but is politically significant as the most widely reported domestic jobs indicator. (Reporting by Anna Willard; Editing by Mike Peacock)