Insee
Informations Rapides · 17 December 2021 · n° 332
Informations rapidesIn 2020, employment increased by 0.6% in the French civil service Civil Service employment - year 2020

Informations rapides
No 332
Paru le :Paru le17/12/2021

At the end of 2020, the French civil service employed 5.7 million persons (including subsidised contracts), that is 33,700 more than a year earlier (+0.6%) a stronger rise than the previous year (+0.3%). In 2020, the fall in subsidised contracts continued in all three branches of the French civil service: −15,900 in total (−30.7%). They were 35,800 at then end of 2020. As in the past years, numerous former subsidised contract beneficiaries were hired under public law contracts and, albeit more rarely, as civil servants. Excluding subsidised contracts, workforce increased at a similar pace than in 2019 (+49,600, +0.9%, after +0.8%). Converted to full-time equivalents, annual employment including subsidised contracts was almost stable (+0.1%), after +0.3% in 2019.

In the state civil service, workforce rose markedly in 2020: +20,600 (+0.8% after +0.1%). This growth was mainly due to public establishments (+4.4%) whereas workforce decreased in Ministries (−0.2%). As in 2019, the sharp rise of public law contracts in public establishments (+34,100), especially in establishments of the Ministries of National Education, Higher Education and Research (+26,300), was stronger than the drop in subsidised contracts (−10,800). In Ministries, the fall was mainly due to Ministries of Economy and Finance (−3,400, −2.5% of the employment of these Ministries).

In the local civil service, workforce including subsidised contracts decreased (−8,400, −0.4%) after an increase in 2019 (+0.5%) following three years of decline. The fall in 2020 was mainly due to communal employment (−0.6%). In regions and departments, workforce was nearly stable (+0.1%). Excluding subsidised contracts, workforce fell by −0.2% after three years of rise.

In the hospital civil service, the workforce increased more strongly than in 2019: 21,500 (+1.8% after +0.3%). Workforce grew sharply in medico-social establishments (+1.4%) and above all, in hospitals (+1.9%). This rise was mainly significant for public law contracts of which number grew by 23,500 (9.5%).

Civil Service employment

Civil Service employment
Level in thousands Change (in %)
2020 (p) 2018-2019 2019-2020 (p)
Workforce as at December 31 (1)
State Civil Service Total, incl. subsidised contracts 2,526.8 0.1 0.8
excl. subsidised contracts 2,523.6 0.9 1.3
Local Civil Service Total, incl. subsidised contracts 1,960.2 0.5 -0.4
excl. subsidised contracts 1,931.7 0.9 -0.2
Hospital Civil Service Total, incl. subsidised contracts 1,210.8 0.3 1.8
excl. subsidised contracts 1,206.7 0.4 1.9
Civil Service Total, incl. subsidised contracts 5,697.8 0.3 0.6
excl. subsidised contracts 5,662.0 0.8 0.9
Workload in full-time equivalent (2)
Civil Service Total, incl. subsidised contracts 5,331.4 0.3 0.1
excl. subsidised contracts 5,305,5 0.7 0.4
  • (p): provisional
  • (1) Final main jobs as at December 31
  • (2) All active jobs in the year
  • Scope: France
  • Sources : Insee, Siasp

Civil Service employment per employer

Civil Service employment per employer
In thousands Year-on-year change (in %) (p)
2020 (p)
Workforce as at December 31 incl. subsidised contacts incl. subsidised contacts excl. subsidised contacts
State Civil Service
Ministries 1,968.5 -0.2 -0.2
Public administrative establishments 558.3 4.4 6.6
Local Civil Service
Communal sector 1,514.7 -0.6 -0.3
Régions and départements 445.6 0.1 0.2
Hospital Civil Service
Hospitals 1,055.9 1.9 1.9
Médico-social establishments 155.0 1.4 1.8
  • (p): provisional
  • Scope: final main jobs as at December 31, France
  • Sources : Insee, Siasp

For further information

The Information System on Civil Servants (Siasp), produced by Insee since 2009, provides information on employment and payments of the agents of the three branches of the civil service. It is sourced by the monthly pay files of the State for the majority of the State civil servants (FPE) and sourced by the Annual Declaration of Social Data (DADS) for local and hospital civil servants (FPT and FPH) and the rest of the State civil servants. Since 2017, a small part of the data comes from the Nominative Social Declaration (DSN).

Since 2019, data on gendarmes comes from the DADS and not from the RAE, trends with 2018 must be treated with some caution on this scope.

Siasp describes for every agent the nature of employment, the start and finish date for the pay period, the number of salaried hours, the working conditions (full-time, part-time), the amount of the paid remunerations… It integrates characteristic concepts and variables of the civil service, linked in particular to the status of the agent or to his/her mode of payment (rank, level, index…). It aims at insuring the coherence of concepts regarding conditions of work and regarding payments through the three spheres of the civil service, and the field of private sector employees. Based on individual data, it allows us in particular to deal with multiple activities and to provide information for a panel including all types of employees.

The agents of the medical and social establishments connected with a hospital center are counted in the staff of hospitals.

The definition of civil service refers to legal persons and agencies subject to administrative law in which recruitment will be made on the basis of public law. The definition of each sphere (FPE, FPT, FPH) is borne out of the legal category of the employer. All information on definitions is specified in the entry Siasp of de “Sources et Méthodes” on insee.fr (https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/source/s1322) and on the entry “Documents et méthodes” of “Etudes & Statistiques” on fonction-publique.gouv.fr. ( http://www.fonction-publique.gouv.fr/documents-et-methodes)

Definitions

The final main position on 31 December of an employee is the active and non-annexed position which s/he occupies on this date (or the highest paid job if the agent has several positions). A job is considered active if it generates a remuneration, and non-annexed if the labour force and the corresponding level of pay are ‘sufficient’.

The volume of annual labour in full-time equivalent is calculated by taking into account all the jobs of the employees (including the part-time position). Every job is taken into account in proportion to its hourly volume of work brought back to a full-time post.

A subsidised contract is a special type of employment contract, for which the employer benefits from aid, which may take the form of recruitment subsidies, exemptions from certain social contributions, or training assistance. The general principle is to reduce, via direct or indirect aid, hiring and/or training costs for the employer. These subsidised jobs are, in general, accessible mainly for "target publics", such as persons "in difficulty on the labour market" or young people (https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/definition/c1812)

Pour en savoir plus

The Information System on Civil Servants (Siasp), produced by Insee since 2009, provides information on employment and payments of the agents of the three branches of the civil service. It is sourced by the monthly pay files of the State for the majority of the State civil servants (FPE) and sourced by the Annual Declaration of Social Data (DADS) for local and hospital civil servants (FPT and FPH) and the rest of the State civil servants. Since 2017, a small part of the data comes from the Nominative Social Declaration (DSN).

Since 2019, data on gendarmes comes from the DADS and not from the RAE, trends with 2018 must be treated with some caution on this scope.

Siasp describes for every agent the nature of employment, the start and finish date for the pay period, the number of salaried hours, the working conditions (full-time, part-time), the amount of the paid remunerations… It integrates characteristic concepts and variables of the civil service, linked in particular to the status of the agent or to his/her mode of payment (rank, level, index…). It aims at insuring the coherence of concepts regarding conditions of work and regarding payments through the three spheres of the civil service, and the field of private sector employees. Based on individual data, it allows us in particular to deal with multiple activities and to provide information for a panel including all types of employees.

The agents of the medical and social establishments connected with a hospital center are counted in the staff of hospitals.

The definition of civil service refers to legal persons and agencies subject to administrative law in which recruitment will be made on the basis of public law. The definition of each sphere (FPE, FPT, FPH) is borne out of the legal category of the employer. All information on definitions is specified in the entry Siasp of de “Sources et Méthodes” on insee.fr (https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/source/s1322) and on the entry “Documents et méthodes” of “Etudes & Statistiques” on fonction-publique.gouv.fr. ( http://www.fonction-publique.gouv.fr/documents-et-methodes)

Definitions

The final main position on 31 December of an employee is the active and non-annexed position which s/he occupies on this date (or the highest paid job if the agent has several positions). A job is considered active if it generates a remuneration, and non-annexed if the labour force and the corresponding level of pay are ‘sufficient’.

The volume of annual labour in full-time equivalent is calculated by taking into account all the jobs of the employees (including the part-time position). Every job is taken into account in proportion to its hourly volume of work brought back to a full-time post.

A subsidised contract is a special type of employment contract, for which the employer benefits from aid, which may take the form of recruitment subsidies, exemptions from certain social contributions, or training assistance. The general principle is to reduce, via direct or indirect aid, hiring and/or training costs for the employer. These subsidised jobs are, in general, accessible mainly for "target publics", such as persons "in difficulty on the labour market" or young people (https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/definition/c1812)

: bureau-de-presse@insee.fr