France Payroll Employment in the Private Sector

Private payroll employment in France fell 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, or 24,300 jobs, to 21 million in the second quarter of 2026, confirming preliminary estimates and following a revised flat reading in the previous period. Compared with a year earlier, private employment was down 0.4% (-80,900 jobs), marking the sixth consecutive quarter of year-on-year decline, though it remained 5.1% (+1 million jobs) above its pre-pandemic level. Temporary employment continued to weaken, falling 1.0% (-6,700 jobs), leaving it below both its year-earlier level (-1.7%) and its pre-pandemic level (-9.9%). Excluding temporary work, employment declined in agriculture (-2.6%), construction (-0.4%) and industry (-0.1%), while market and non-market services were broadly stable. Within market services, accommodation and food services added 4,400 jobs, partly offsetting declines in information and communication and other services.

Private payroll employment in France fell 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, or 19,300 jobs, to 21 million in the second quarter of 2026, matching market expectations and remaining unchanged from the previous period. Compared with a year earlier, private employment was down 0.4% (-79,700 jobs), though it remained 5% (+1 million jobs) above its pre-pandemic level. Temporary employment continued to weaken, falling 1.4% (-9,700 jobs), leaving it below both its year-earlier level (-1.9%) and its pre-pandemic level (-10.4%). Excluding temporary work, employment trends were mixed across sectors. Jobs in agriculture declined 0.8% (-2,500 jobs), industry shed 0.1% (-3,200 jobs), while the construction contracted 0.4% (-6,100 jobs). Meanwhile, employment in both market services and non-market services excluding temporary work was stable. Despite the recent slowdown, France's private payroll employment remains well above pre-pandemic levels, standing 5% (+1 million jobs) higher than at the end of 2019.

Private payroll employment in France fell by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, or 13,900 jobs, to 21.0 million in the first quarter of 2026, matching preliminary estimates and remaining unchanged from the previous quarter. Permanent contracts edged down 0.1% from the prior quarter but remained well above their end-2019 level, while apprenticeship contracts declined by 0.4%. In contrast, fixed-term contracts excluding apprenticeships rose by 0.4% over the quarter. By age group, private sector employment continued to decline among workers aged 15–29 (-0.2%), mainly due to weaker apprenticeship hiring. Employment also fell for those aged 30–54, down 0.2% quarter-on-quarter. Meanwhile, employment among older workers aged 55 and above continued to rise strongly, increasing by 0.7%. On a yearly basis, private payroll employment decreased by 0.3%, or 60,700 jobs, marking the fifth consecutive period of annual contraction, although employment levels remained 5.1% above their pre-pandemic level.