Insee Première · March 2022 · n° 1896

Labour market at a glance in 2021 Employment rose sharply, especially for young people

In 2021, 67.3% of people aged 15 to 64 were in employment as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO). The annual employment rate rose by 1.2 points and stood at its highest level since INSEE measures it (1975). Employment increased sharply for young people, especially for work-study contracts.

The share of fixed-term and temporary employment increased again, after three years of decline, accentuated in 2020 by the Covid-19 outbreak.

The total hours actually worked, which had fallen sharply in 2020, rebounded but was still below its pre‑crisis level. The share of people underemployed, which includes short-time work, declined but remained higher than in 2019.

The unemployment rate continued to decrease and reached 7.9% in 2021. The halo of unemployment fell back to its 2019 level.