Private payroll employment in France declined by 0.1% in Q1 2026, a loss of 11,400 jobs, bringing total private employment to 21.0 million. This matches the contraction seen in the previous quarter and contrasts with expectations of stabilization. Year-on-year, private employment fell by 0.3%, or 64,400 jobs.
Temporary employment continued to soften, slipping by 0.3% (–1,900 jobs). It remained below its level a year earlier (–0.7%) and was still well under its pre‑pandemic level (–9.2%). Excluding temporary work, developments varied by sector.
Employment in agriculture fell by 1.2% (–4,000 jobs), while industry recorded a modest decline of 0.1% (–3,200 jobs). Construction also continued to contract, down 0.5% (–7,700 jobs), extending an ongoing downward trend.
By contrast, employment in market services excluding temporary work was stable, and non‑market services posted a modest rebound, rising 0.2% (+4,500 jobs).
Despite the recent softening, private payroll employment remains well above its pre‑pandemic level, standing 5.3% higher than at the end of 2019, an increase of 1.1 million jobs.
