France Private Payroll Employment Falls 0.1% in Q1

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.

Private payroll employment in France fell 0.1%, or 11,400 jobs, to 21.0 million in Q1 2026, matching the previous quarter and compared with expectations of stagnation. Compared with the same period last year, private employment dropped 0.3%, or 64,400 jobs. Temporary employment continued to weaken, falling 0.3% (-1,900 jobs), remaining below both its level a year earlier (-0.7%) and its pre-pandemic level (-9.2%). Excluding temporary work, employment was mixed across sectors. Agriculture declined (-1.2%, or -4,000 jobs), alongside industry (-0.1%, or -3,200 jobs). Construction continued to contract (-0.5%, or -7,700 jobs), extending its downward trend. In contrast, market services excluding temporary work were stable, while non-market services rebounded (+0.2%, or +4,500 jobs). Despite recent weakness, private payroll employment remains significantly above pre-pandemic levels, up 5.3% (+1.1 million jobs) compared with end-2019.

Private payroll employment in France decreased by 0.1%, or 20,900 jobs, to 21.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, matching preliminary estimates and remaining unchanged from the previous quarter. Temporary employment declined slightly by 0.2% (-1,200 jobs), staying below its level in the fourth quarter of 2024 (-0.7%, or -5,200 jobs) and significantly below its pre-pandemic level (-8.9%, or -69,300 jobs). Excluding temporary work, job losses were recorded in industry (-0.1%, or -4,500 jobs), construction (-0.4%, or -5,600 jobs), commercial services (-0.1%, or -13,800 jobs), and non-market services (-0.3%, or -7,300 jobs). In contrast, employment in the agriculture sector rebounded by 3.9% (+12,300 jobs). On a yearly basis, private payroll employment dropped by 0.3%, or 60,200 jobs, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of decline. Still, employment remained well above its pre-pandemic level (end of 2019), with an increase of 5.4%, or 1.1 million jobs.