Informations Rapides · 29 November 2024 · n° 295

In Q3 2024, payroll employment rose slightly (+0.2%) Payroll employment - third quarter 2024

IIn Q3 2024, payroll employment rose by 0.2% (that is +48,700 net job creations) after -0.1% in the previous quarter (that is -15,200 jobs). It exceeded its Q3 2023 level by 0.5% (that is +130,900 jobs) and its pre-sanitary crisis level (end of 2019) by 5.3%, that is 1.4 million additional jobs.

In Q3 2024, private payroll employment was virtually stable (+0.1% that is +27,000 jobs) after having decreased by 0.2% in the previous quarter (that is -32,900 jobs). It exceeded its Q3 2023 level by 0.2% (that is +47,400 jobs) and its pre-sanitary crisis level by 5.9% (that is +1.2 million jobs). Public payroll employment rose in Q3 2024: +0.4% (that is +21,700 jobs) after +0.3% (that is +17,700 jobs). It topped his previous year level by 1.4% (that is +83,600 jobs) and its Q4 2019 level by 3.4% (that is +0,2 million jobs).

In Q3 2024, temporary employment decreased: -0.9% after -2.3% in the previous quarter (that is -6,300 jobs after -17,500 jobs). Temporary employment was below its Q3 2023 level by 5.1% (that is -38,900 jobs) and 6.0% below its pre-sanitary crisis level (that is -46,400 jobs).

As a reminder, in this publication temporary workers are accounted for in the temporary employment sector which pays them (within market services), whichever sector they carry out their assignment (agriculture, industry, construction, market or non market services).

In Q3 2024, payroll employment in agriculture rose by 2.3% over a quarter (that is -7,200 jobs), back to its level from a year ago.

Industrial payroll employment (excluding temporary work) was stable in Q3 2024 (that is +200 jobs). It exceeded by 0.7% its Q3 2023 level and its pre-sanitary level by 2.7%.

In the construction sector, payroll employment (excluding temporary work) decreased for the seventh consecutive quarter: -0.2%, after a decrease of -0.6% in Q2 2024 (that is -3,500 jobs after -8,700 jobs). It was below it Q3 2023 level by 1.5% but still remained well above its pre-sanitary crisis level (5.3%).

Excluding temporary work, payroll employment in market services was virtually stable in Q3 2024 (+0.1%, that is 16,400 jobs), after a stability in Q2 2024 (that is -3,400 jobs). It topped its Q3 2023 level by 0.5% (that is +57,600 jobs) and its pre-sanitary level by 7.6% (that is +0.9 million jobs). In market services, excluding temporary work, payroll employment increased clearly in accommodation and food service activities (+0.7%, that is -9,100 jobs) and, to a lesser extent, in professional, scientific and technical activities excluding temporary work (+0,3%, that is +8,100 jobs); conversely, it decreased slightly in other service activities (-0,3%, that is +3,400 jobs).

Payroll employment in non-market services increased by 0.4% in Q3 2024 after a rise of 0.2% in the previous quarter (that is +34,700 after +21,200 jobs).The increase concerned both its private (+0.5%) and public (+0.4%) components. It topped its Q3 2023 level by 1.3% (that is +114,600 jobs) and its pre-sanitary level by 4,1% (that is +0.3 million jobs). In non-market services, payroll employment rose in education, healthcare and public administration, both over the quarter and over a year; in each of these sectors, the increase was driven by people aged 55 years old and more.

In Q3 2024, private payroll employment kept rising sharply among people aged 55 years old and more: over a year, it rose by 3.5% (that is +129,100 jobs). It was virtually stable for people aged less than 30 years old over the year, and decreased clearly for people aged 30-54 years old (-0,6% over a year, that is -77,100 jobs). The respective trends for women and men were very similar over the quarter and over the year.

In Q3 2024, private payroll employment kept rising for permanent contracts: over a year, it rose by 0.4% (that is +76,400 jobs). The number of fixed-term jobs rebounded slightly, but remained below its Q3 2024 level by 0.4% (that is +8,300 jobs). Compared to its pre-sanitary crisis level, they remained well below it (-6.4%), just like temporary work (-6.0%).

Apprenticeship declined slightly this quarter, but remained above its Q3 2023 level by 1.3%, and very sharply above its pre-sanitary crisis level (+61% that is +393,300 jobs).

Compared to the employment detailed estimate published on 30 August 2024, the quarterly change in payroll employment (private and public) in Q2 2024 has been revised downwards by 2,300 jobs and its relative evolution downwards by 0.2 points. These revisions are mainly visible in agriculture (-4,200 jobs). They are due to the inclusion of late declarations of seasonal contracts in the first quarters of the year in this sector.

Compared to the flash estimate published on 7 November 2024, the payroll employment in the private sector alone in Q3 2024 has been revised upwards by 52,000 jobs, with its relative evolution revised upwards by 0.2 points (to +0,1%). This revision is due to the inclusion of more late returns than anticipated in the flash estimate.