France Private Payroll Employment Falls 0.1% in Q1

2026-04-30 06:59 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

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.



News Stream
French Private Payrolls Fall 0.1% in Q3
Private payroll employment in France declined 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, or 25,800 jobs, in the third quarter of 2026, matching market expectations and following an identical decrease in the previous period. Compared with a year earlier, private employment fell 0.3% (-69,800 jobs), marking its seventh consecutive quarterly decline, though it remained 4.9% (+982,100 jobs) above its pre-pandemic level. Temporary employment rebounded, rising 1.3% (+8,900 jobs) after a 1.0% decline in the previous quarter, but remained 0.2% above its year-earlier level and 8.7% below its pre-pandemic level. Excluding temporary work, employment trends remained weak across sectors. Jobs in agriculture fell 1.9% (-6,000), industry declined 0.2% (-6,400), and construction contracted 0.4% (-6,100). Meanwhile, market services employment excluding temporary work edged down 0.1% (-12,000 jobs), while non-market services decreased 0.2% (-4,300 jobs).
2026-10-30
France Private Payroll Employment Down 0.1% in Q2
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.
2026-09-25
French Private Payrolls Drop 0.1% in Q2
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.
2026-08-06