Informations Rapides ·
30 April 2026 · n° 108
In Q1 2026, private payroll employment was again virtually stable (-0.1%) Flash estimate of payroll employment - first quarter 2026
Between December 2025 and March 2026, private payroll employment was virtually stable (-0.1% that is -11,400 jobs), as the previous quarter (-0.1% that is -20,900 jobs). It was below its Q1 2025 by 0.3% (that is -64,400 jobs), decreasing year on year for the fifth consecutive quarter. It far exceeded its pre-pandemic level (end of Q4 2019) by 5.3% (that is +1.1 million jobs).
- In Q1 2026, private payroll employment was vitually stable over the quarter (-0.1%) and was below its Q1 2025 by 0.3%
- Temporary employment continued to decline slighlty
- Excluding temporary work, private payroll was virtually stable in industry and decreased again in construction
- Excluding temporary work, private payroll employment was stable in market services and rebounded in non-market services
- For more information
In Q1 2026, private payroll employment was vitually stable over the quarter (-0.1%) and was below its Q1 2025 by 0.3%
Between December 2025 and March 2026, private payroll employment was virtually stable (-0.1% that is -11,400 jobs), as the previous quarter (-0.1% that is -20,900 jobs). It was below its Q1 2025 by 0.3% (that is -64,400 jobs), decreasing year on year for the fifth consecutive quarter. It far exceeded its pre-pandemic level (end of Q4 2019) by 5.3% (that is +1.1 million jobs).
tableauVariation in private payroll employment
| Total | Construction | Market services | Industry | Non-market services | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-Q1 | -11.4 | -7.7 | -1.1 | -3.2 | 4.5 |
| 2025-Q4 | -20.9 | -5.6 | -15.6 | -4.6 | -7.3 |
| 2025-Q3 | -24.2 | -0.9 | -10.4 | -4.4 | 1.7 |
| 2025-Q2 | -7.9 | -5.0 | 11.5 | -5.6 | -7.2 |
| 2025-Q1 | -7.2 | -7.2 | -7.8 | -2.2 | 8.9 |
| 2024-Q4 | -28.4 | -6.5 | -24.3 | -0.4 | 6.8 |
| 2024-Q3 | 27.7 | -6.2 | 12.8 | 1.7 | 10.8 |
| 2024-Q2 | -38.5 | -8.8 | -31.9 | 2.5 | 3.7 |
| 2024-Q1 | 61.6 | -4.9 | 44.2 | 6.7 | 14.5 |
| 2023-Q4 | 7.1 | -2.1 | 3.3 | 9.6 | 6.3 |
| 2023-Q3 | 27.2 | -2.9 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 5.9 |
| 2023-Q2 | 24.8 | -2.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 8.1 |
| 2023-Q1 | 39.8 | -2.2 | 35.2 | 5.1 | 3.0 |
| 2022-Q4 | 92.4 | 2.2 | 71.3 | 6.5 | 7.3 |
| 2022-Q3 | 74.2 | 0.4 | 65.9 | 10.6 | 1.4 |
| 2022-Q2 | 56.8 | 1.9 | 48.3 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
| 2022-Q1 | 90.3 | 3.0 | 69.1 | 3.0 | 6.4 |
| 2021-Q4 | 165.4 | 5.4 | 152.7 | 8.1 | -7.7 |
| 2021-Q3 | 197.4 | 10.5 | 167.5 | 10.8 | 9.8 |
| 2021-Q2 | 257.0 | 13.3 | 221.3 | 9.4 | 7.1 |
| 2021-Q1 | 176.9 | 20.2 | 120.4 | 11.2 | 28.7 |
| 2020-Q4 | 4.4 | 17.7 | -31.2 | -2.2 | 15.1 |
| 2020-Q3 | 431.3 | 23.8 | 365.3 | -1.7 | 40.4 |
| 2020-Q2 | -59.1 | 15.8 | -49.8 | -16.1 | -13.9 |
| 2020-Q1 | -471.8 | -4.6 | -442.7 | -11.1 | -7.0 |
| 2019-Q4 | 86.6 | 12.9 | 80.7 | 5.4 | 4.8 |
| 2019-Q3 | 61.7 | 13.7 | 24.1 | 2.9 | 5.0 |
| 2019-Q2 | 34.9 | 13.3 | 13.4 | 6.3 | -0.5 |
| 2019-Q1 | 162.2 | 18.2 | 122.2 | 10.4 | 5.4 |
graphiqueVariation in private payroll employment
- Scope: France excluding Mayotte.
- Source: INSEE, URSSAF, DARES.
Temporary employment continued to decline slighlty
In Q1 2026, temporary employment decreased slightly (-0.3% that is -1,900 jobs) as the previous quarter (-0.2% that is -1,200 jobs). Temporary employment was below its Q1 2025 level by 0.7% (that is -5,100 jobs) and by 9.2% its pre-pandemic level (that is -71,200 jobs).
As a reminder, in this publication temporary workers are accounted for in the temporary employment sector which pays them (within market services), whichever sector they carry out their assignment (agriculture, industry, construction, services).
Excluding temporary work, private payroll was virtually stable in industry and decreased again in construction
Between December 2025 and March 2026, private payroll employment in agriculture decreased (-1.2% that is -4,000 jobs), after a sharp rebound in the previous quarter (+3.9% that is +12,300 jobs) as a consequence of a particularly early grape harvest in 2025 (more concentrated in August than usual, as a result, private payroll employment had fallen below its usual level by the end of September). In March 2026, private payroll employment in agriculture was 1.1% below its level at the end of March 2025.
Industrial private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) was virtually stable in Q1 2026 (-0.1%, that is -3,200 jobs), as the previous quarter (-0.1% that is -4,600 jobs). It was 0.6% below its level at the end of March 2025 (that is -17,900 jobs). It exceeded its pre-pandemic level (+1.8% that is +55,200 jobs).
In construction, private payroll employment decreased again in Q1 2026: -0.5% (that is -7,700 jobs) after -0.4% in the previous quarter (that is -5,600 jobs), bringing the year-on-year fall to -1.2% (that is -19,200 jobs). It exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level (+3.2%, that is +47,500 jobs compared to the end of 2019).
Excluding temporary work, private payroll employment was stable in market services and rebounded in non-market services
In Q1 2026, in market services, private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) was stable (that is +900 jobs), after a virtually stability in the previous quarter (-0.1%, that is -14,500 jobs). It was just below its Q1 2025 level (-0.1%, that is -10,600 jobs), but exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level (+7.4%, that is +859,200 jobs).
In non-market services, private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) rebounded : +0.2% after -0.3% in Q4 2025 (that is +4,500 jobs after -7,300 jobs). It was still below its Q1 2025 level (-0.3%, that is -8,200 jobs) but exceeded sharply its end of 2019 level by 5.9% (or +154,200 jobs).
tableauPrivate payroll employment change – in thousands
| Change in thousands in 3 months | Change in thousands in 1 year | Change in thousands compared to the end of 2019 | Level | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q4 | 2026 Q1 | 2026 Q1 | 2026 Q1 | 2026 Q1 | |
| Agriculture | 12.3 | -4.0 | -3.5 | 20.1 | 321.7 |
| Goods-producing industries excl. Construction | -4.6 | -3.2 | -17.9 | 55.2 | 3,184.8 |
| Construction | -5.6 | -7.7 | -19.2 | 47.5 | 1,525.9 |
| Market services | -15.6 | -1.1 | -15.6 | 788.0 | 13,197.8 |
| Temporary employment (*) | -1.2 | -1.9 | -5.1 | -71.2 | 704.7 |
| Excluding temporary work | -14.5 | 0.9 | -10.6 | 859.2 | 12,493.2 |
| Non-market services | -7.3 | 4.5 | -8.2 | 154.2 | 2,775.0 |
| Total Private | -20.9 | -11.4 | -64.4 | 1,065.0 | 21,005.1 |
- (*) Temporary workers are recorded in services, regardless of the sector in which they carry out their mission effectively.
- How to read it: In Q1 2026, net private job creations in agriculture decreased by 4,000 jobs compared to the previous quarter.
- Scope: private payroll employment; France, excluding Mayotte.
- Sources : URSSAF, INSEE, DARES.
tableauPrivate payroll employment change – in percentage points
| Change in percentage points in 3 months | Change in percentage points in 1 year | Change in percentage points compared to the end of 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q4 | 2026Q1 | 2026Q1 | 2026Q1 | |
| Agriculture | 3.9 | -1.2 | -1.1 | 6.7 |
| Goods-producing industries excl. Construction | -0.1 | -0.1 | -0.6 | 1.8 |
| Construction | -0.4 | -0.5 | -1.2 | 3.2 |
| Market services | -0.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 6.3 |
| Temporary employment (*) | -0.2 | -0.3 | -0.7 | -9.2 |
| Excluding temporary work | -0.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 7.4 |
| Non-market services | -0.3 | 0.2 | -0.3 | 5.9 |
| Total Private | -0.1 | -0.1 | -0.3 | 5.3 |
- (*) Temporary workers are recorded in services, regardless of the sector in which they carry out their mission effectively.
- Scope: private payroll employment; France, excluding Mayotte.
- Sources: URSSAF, INSEE, DARES.
For more information
Next issue of the detailed estimate for the first quarter of 2026: 29 May 2026 at 8:45 am
Next issue of the flash estimate for the second quarter of 2026: 30 July 2026 at 8:45 am
Documentation
Methodology Employment Flash November 2024 (pdf,492 Ko)
Pour en savoir plus