Private-sector payroll employment in France slipped by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter of 2026, a decline of 25,800 jobs. The figure was in line with market expectations and mirrored the drop recorded in the previous quarter. On a year-on-year basis, private employment decreased by 0.3% (–69,800 jobs), marking a seventh consecutive quarterly contraction. Despite this prolonged decline, employment remained 4.9% (or +982,100 jobs) above its pre-pandemic level.
Temporary employment recovered, rising 1.3% (+8,900 jobs) after a 1.0% decline in the preceding quarter. However, it was only 0.2% higher than a year earlier and still 8.7% below its pre-pandemic level. Excluding temporary work, employment trends remained weak across most sectors. Agricultural employment fell by 1.9% (–6,000 jobs), industrial employment declined by 0.2% (–6,400 jobs), and construction employment contracted by 0.4% (–6,100 jobs). In market services excluding temporary work, employment edged down 0.1% (–12,000 jobs), while non-market services saw a 0.2% decrease (–4,300 jobs).
