Informations Rapides · 10 June 2021 · n° 148

In Q1 2021, payroll employment increased by 0.3% Payroll employment - first quarter 2021

Between the end of December 2020 and the end of March 2021, payroll employment increased by 0.3% (+86,100 jobs) after -0.1% (-22,800) in the previous quarter. This increase is due to private payroll employment, which rebounded sharply: +0.5% (+88,800) after -0.2% (-31,100 jobs). Payroll employment in the public service almost stabilised (-2,700 jobs after +8,300). Nevertheless, private payroll employment remains 1.2% (-243,400 jobs) below its pre-crisis level (end of 2019) and conversely public employment exceeds its pre-crisis level by 0.6% (+33,600). In total, at the beginning of 2021, payroll employment level is comparable to that of the beginning of 2019.

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). In each of these sectors, a large part of the short-term adjustment to the crisis in the first quarter of 2020 was initially made by a drop in the use of temporary staff (–40.2% that is −316,700 jobs). Then temporary work rebounded sharply: +22.9%, +22.7% and +5.0% in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2020 (a total of +274,800 jobs). In the first quarter of 2021, temporary employment almost stabilised (+0.3%, i.e. +2,400) without returning to its pre-crisis level: -5.0%, i.e. -39,600 jobs compared to the end of 2019.

Industrial employment (excluding temporary work) almost stabilised: +0.1% (or +1,900 jobs) after -0.4% in the previous quarter (or -13,300 jobs). In this sector, employment is 1.8% below its pre-crisis level (i.e. -55,600 compared to the end of 2019).

In market services excluding temporary work, payroll employment rebounded moderately (+0.4% or +47,900) after having fallen sharply in the previous quarter (-0.8% or -92,500). It increased significantly in business services, information and communication and trade, while it continued to fall in accommodation and food services. Overall, employment in market services excluding temporary work remains well below its end-2019 level, by 2.0% (or -239,600).In construction, payroll employment excluding temporary work increased again significantly: +1.4% after +0.7% in the previous quarter (or +19,800 after +10,400). It is thus well above its pre-crisis level: +3.5% compared to the end of 2019 (+50,800).

Payroll employment in the mainly non-market services sector increases by 0.2% (+17,700) after two quarters of consecutive increases. Employment in this sector exceeds its pre-crisis level (+1.0% compared to the end of 2019, i.e. +76,500), mainly in the health sector (+3.5% or +55,900 jobs).

Compared to the employment estimate published on 9 March 2021, the decline in payroll employment (private and public) in the fourth quarter of 2020 is hardly revised (revised by -2,200). Compared to the flash estimate published on 7 May 2021, the increase in payroll employment in the private sector alone in the first quarter of 2021 is accentuated by 31,500 (i.e. +0.2 points), to +88,800. This revision is mainly due to the market and non-market services sectors.