PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has prompted a public outcry with comments suggesting employees of a struggling company should look for a job instead of protesting.

During a visit to Egletons training school in central France on Wednesday, Macron said "some people, instead of screwing everything up, they would better see whether they can get some jobs."

He was referring to workers worried about job losses at a nearby factory who organized a demonstration on the sidelines of his visit. And, unusually for him, he used vulgar language.

Many politicians from the right and left expressed anger at the comments Thursday, considering them disrespectful to the unemployed.

Macron's popularity rate has plunged as his government starts to implement labor reforms. He is increasingly criticized as the "president of the rich."