---
source: INSEE (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques)
url: https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/8986733
document_type: html
date_retrieved: 2026-04-30
period: Q1 2026 (January–March 2026)
parent_publication: Informations rapides — Flash estimate of payroll employment
indicators_covered: ["Private Payroll Employment QoQ %", "Private Payroll Employment YoY %", "Temporary Employment"]
---

# In Q1 2026, private payroll employment was again virtually stable (-0.1%)

*Flash estimate of payroll employment — first quarter 2026*  
*Release date: 30 April 2026 · n° 108*

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## Key Findings

Between December 2025 and March 2026, private payroll employment was **virtually stable at -0.1%** (that is **-11,400 jobs**), matching the previous quarter's change of -0.1% (-20,900 jobs).

On a year-on-year basis, private payroll employment was **down 0.3%** (-64,400 jobs compared to Q1 2025), marking the **fifth consecutive quarter** of year-on-year decline.

Despite the recent declines, employment remained **5.3% above pre-pandemic levels** (end of Q4 2019), representing an increase of +1.1 million jobs.

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## Sectoral Breakdown

### Temporary Employment
Temporary employment decreased slightly in Q1 2026: **-0.3%** (-1,900 jobs), following a -0.2% change in Q4 2025. Year-on-year, temporary employment is down 0.7% (-5,100 jobs) and remains 9.2% below pre-pandemic levels (-71,200 jobs).

### Agriculture
Private payroll employment in agriculture **decreased 1.2%** (-4,000 jobs) in Q1 2026, after a sharp rebound in Q4 2025 (+3.9% or +12,300 jobs) which was influenced by an especially early grape harvest in 2025. In March 2026, agricultural employment was 1.1% below its March 2025 level.

### Industry (excluding temporary work)
Industrial private payroll employment was **virtually stable** in Q1 2026 at **-0.1%** (-3,200 jobs), following a similar -0.1% change in Q4 2025 (-4,600 jobs). Year-on-year, industrial employment is down 0.6% (-17,900 jobs), but remains **1.8% above pre-pandemic levels** (+55,200 jobs).

### Construction
Construction employment **decreased again**: **-0.5%** in Q1 2026 (-7,700 jobs) after a -0.4% decline in Q4 2025 (-5,600 jobs). Year-on-year construction employment has fallen **1.2%** (-19,200 jobs). Despite the recent declines, construction employment remains **3.2% above pre-pandemic levels** (+47,500 jobs compared to end-2019).

### Market Services (excluding temporary work)
Market services private payroll employment was **stable** in Q1 2026 (+900 jobs, effectively 0.0%), after near-stability in Q4 2025 (-0.1% or -14,500 jobs). Year-on-year, market services employment is down just **0.1%** (-10,600 jobs), but remains **7.4% above pre-pandemic levels** (+859,200 jobs).

### Non-Market Services (excluding temporary work)
Non-market services employment **rebounded**: **+0.2%** in Q1 2026 (+4,500 jobs) after a decline of -0.3% in Q4 2025 (-7,300 jobs). Year-on-year, non-market services employment is down **0.3%** (-8,200 jobs), but remains **5.9% above pre-pandemic levels** (+154,200 jobs).

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## Tables

The release includes the following tables (as noted in the source):

- Variation in private payroll employment (absolute change in thousands)
- Variation in private payroll employment (percentage points)

Full table data is available in the original INSEE publication.

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## Next Releases

- **Detailed estimate** for Q1 2026: 29 May 2026 at 8:45 am (Paris time)
- **Flash estimate** for Q2 2026: 30 July 2026 at 8:45 am (Paris time)

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## Source Notes

- Data source: INSEE, *Informations rapides* n° 108, 30 April 2026.
- Scope: Private sector payroll employment in France (excluding Mayotte).
- Temporary workers are classified under the temporary employment sector (within market services), regardless of the sector where they actually work.
- Pre-pandemic comparison refers to end of Q4 2019.
- Values are seasonally adjusted.