Insee
Informations Rapides · 5 February 2021 · n° 035
Informations rapidesIn Q4 2020, payroll employment dropped by 0.2% (flash estimate) Flash estimate of payroll employment - fourth quarter 2020

Between the end of September and the end of December 2020, private payroll employment dropped by 0.2%, or 39,600 net job destructions. It declined again, as a result of the health crisis and second lockdown after a sharp rebound in the summer (+1.6%, that is +312,400 jobs). Private payroll employment remained below its pre-crisis level: except for the low point in the second quarter of 2020, at the end of 2020, it reached its lowest point since mid-2018. Over the year as a whole in 2020, it declined by 1.8% (that is -360,500 jobs), after five years of successive increases.

In the so-called "non-agricultural market" field (industry, construction and market services), payroll employment has been measured in quarterly time series since the end of 1970. At the end of 2020, private payroll employment dropped by 2.2% year-on-year in this field. This is the strongest year-end annual decline since the series began.

Informations rapides
No 035
Paru le :Paru le05/02/2021
Prochaine parution le : 07/11/2024 at 08:45 - third quarter 2024

In Q4 2020, private payroll employment declined slightly (-0.2%) after a rebound in the previous quarter (+1.6%)

Between the end of September and the end of December 2020, private payroll employment dropped by 0.2%, or 39,600 net job destructions. It declined again, as a result of the health crisis and second lockdown after a sharp rebound in the summer (+1.6%, that is +312,400 jobs). Private payroll employment remained below its pre-crisis level: except for the low point in the second quarter of 2020, at the end of 2020, it reached its lowest point since mid-2018. Over the year as a whole in 2020, it declined by 1.8% (that is -360,500 jobs), after five years of successive increases.

In the so-called "non-agricultural market" field (industry, construction and market services), payroll employment has been measured in quarterly time series since the end of 1970. At the end of 2020, private payroll employment dropped by 2.2% year-on-year in this field. This is the strongest year-end annual decline since the series began.

Temporary employment increased sharply for the third consecutive quarter without recovering its pre-crisis level

Temporary employment continues to recover strongly in the fourth quarter of 2020: +5.3% (+37,700 jobs) after +22.9% and +22.8% (that is +107,900 and +131,600 jobs) in the second and third quarters. These three increasing quarters don’t compensate for the historic drop in the first quarter of 2020 (40.3% that is -317,700 jobs) and at the end of 2020, temporary employment remains below its level at the end of 2019 (-5.1% that is -40,500 jobs) and close to its level mid-2017.

Excluding temporary work, private payroll employment decreased by 0.4% (-77,300 jobs). As a reminder, in this publication, temporary workers are accounted for in the temporary employment within market services, whichever sector they carry out their assignment (industry, construction, market or non market services).

Excluding temporary work, employment declined in industry and market services but increased in non-market services

Industrial employment (excluding temporary workers) fell again: -0.6% (-17,200 jobs), after -0.2% in the previous quarter (-7,500 jobs). Over one year, the decline in industry reached -2.0%, that is -61,700 jobs. This is the largest annual decline since 2010.

In non temporary market services, private payroll employment declined sharply: -0,7% after +1.2% in the previous quarter (that is -83,400 after +139,600 jobs). It remains below its level a year earlier by 2.5% (-289,600 jobs). This is its first annual decline since 2009.

Private payroll employment (excluding temporary workers) in the construction is almost stable in the fourth quarter of 2020 (+0.1%) after +1.3% in the previous quarter (that is +2,000 after +18,800 jobs). It remains upper its pre-crisis level: +1.4% over a year (+20,300 jobs).

In non market services, private payroll employment increased again over the quarter: +0.6% (that is +14,900) after +1.2% in the third quarter (that is +30,600 jobs). It exceeded by 0.6% its level at the end of 2019 (+13,900).

Private payroll employment change – in thousands

SA data in thousands
Private payroll employment change – in thousands (SA data in thousands)
Change in thousands in 3 months Change in thousands in 1 year Level
2020 2020 2020 2020
Q3 Q4 Q4 Q4
Agriculture -0.6 6.4 -2.8 296.1
Goods-producing industries excl. Construction -7.5 -17.2 -61.7 3058.3
Construction 18.8 2.0 20.3 1446.6
Market services 271.2 -45.7 -330.1 12074.8
Temporary employment (*) 131.6 37.7 -40.5 747.4
Excluding temporary work 139.6 -83.4 -289.6 11327.4
Non-market services 30.6 14.9 13.9 2515.5
Total Private 312.4 -39.6 -360.5 19391.4
  • How to read it: In Q4 2020, net private job destrucion in market services amounted to 45,700 jobs from the previous quarter.
  • (*) 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: INSEE and DARES

Private payroll employment change – in percentage points

SA data in %
Private payroll employment change – in percentage points (SA data in %)
Change in percentage points in 3 months Change in percentage points in 1 year
2020 2020 2020
Q3 Q4 Q4
Agriculture -0.2 2.2 -0.9
Goods-producing industries excl. Construction -0.2 -0.6 -2.0
Construction 1.3 0.1 1.4
Market services 2.3 -0.4 -2.7
Temporary employment (*) 22.8 5.3 -5.1
Excluding temporary work 1.2 -0.7 -2.5
Non-market services 1.2 0.6 0.6
Total Private 1.6 -0.2 -1.8
  • (*) 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: INSEE and DARES

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