In the third quarter of 2025, France experienced a slight decrease in private payroll employment, with a 0.1% decline equating to a loss of 27,300 jobs, bringing the total to 21.03 million positions. This figure has been revised upwards from an initial estimate of a 0.3% decline, following a 0.2% increase seen in the previous quarter. Employment within non-market services remained largely unchanged, seeing a marginal reduction of just 800 jobs.
When examining employment by age group, there was a notable reduction among individuals aged 15–29, registering a 0.7% decrease primarily due to a decline in work-study contracts. Employment also fell for those aged 30–54 by 0.3%, although it increased by 1.0% for those aged 55 and older. Both men and women experienced a 0.1% drop in employment over the quarter.
On an annual basis, private payroll employment saw a 0.3% decrease, accounting for a reduction of 72,900 jobs. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter of declines, following a period of nearly four years of growth. Nonetheless, employment levels remain significantly above pre-pandemic figures from the end of 2019, with a noteworthy increase of 5.5%, or 1.1 million jobs.
