In Q4 2021, payroll employment again increased sharply (+107,000 between the end of September and the end of December): this was the fourth consecutive quarterly increase, with a vigorous upturn in Q1 (+164,000) and Q2 (+305,000) and a similar rise in Q3 2021 (+121,000). These successive increases more than make up for the 317,000 job destructions in 2020, with the result that at the end of December 2021 payroll employment was well above its level at the end of 2019, with 380,000 net job creations in two years (or +1.5%). This level was exceeded in all the major sectors of activity (building construction, market and non-market tertiary) with the exception of industry. Notably, at the end of 2021 the health situation contributed to increasing the need for workforce: absences linked to the epidemic (sick leave, isolation, childcare, etc.) rose temporarily resulting in a drop in employees’ average working time. Covering for these absences resulted in considerable use of temporary employment, thus providing a boost to employment...