Insee
Informations Rapides · 6 August 2025 · n° 197
Informations rapidesIn Q2 2025, private payroll employment was stable  Flash estimate of payroll employment - second quarter 2025

Between March 2025 and June 2025, private payroll employment was stable (0.0% that is -4,800 jobs), after a virtual stability in the previous quarter (-0.1% that is -28,700 jobs). Private payroll employment was below its Q2 2024 level (-0.4% that is -93,900 jobs). It far exceeded its pre-pandemic level (end of Q4 2019) by +5.2% (that is +1.0 million jobs).

Informations rapides
No 197
Paru le :Paru le06/08/2025
Prochaine parution le : 06/11/2025 at 08:45 - third quarter 2025

In Q2 2025, private payroll employment was stable and was below its level of Q2 2024

Between March 2025 and June 2025, private payroll employment was stable (0.0% that is -4,800 jobs), after a virtual stability in the previous quarter (-0.1% that is -28,700 jobs). Private payroll employment was below its Q2 2024 level (-0.4% that is -93,900 jobs). It far exceeded its pre-pandemic level (end of Q4 2019) by +5.2% (that is +1.0 million jobs).

Temporary employment kept declining

In Q22025, temporary employment declinedagain slightly: -0.6% after -0.5% in the previous quarter (that is -4,000 jobs after -3,300 jobs). Temporary employment was below its Q2 2024 level by 4.1% (that is -29,800 jobs) and 9.2% below its pre-pandemic level (that is -71,100 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, services).

Excluding temporary work, private payroll employment was virtually stable in industry and kept decreasing in construction

Between March 2025 and June 2025, private payroll employment excluding temporary work in agriculture decreased by 1.6% (that is -5,300 jobs) after -1.0% in the previous quarter(-3,200 jobs). It was almost at its level at the end of June 2024 (0.2%).

Industrial private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) was virtually stable (-0.1%, that is -3,200 jobs) after a virtual stability in the previous quarter(-0.1%, that is -2,500 jobs). Over a year, it decreased slightly (-0.2% that is -7,000 jobs).It exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level. (+2.2% hat is +68,000 jobs).

In construction, private payroll employment decreased for the tenth consecutive quarter: -0.5% (that is -7,700 jobs) after -0.7% in the previous quarter (that is -10,300 jobs) bringing the year-on-year fall to -1.9% (that is -29,700 jobs). It exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level (+3.7%, that is +54,700 jobs compared to the end of 2019).

Employment was virtually stable in market services (excluding temporary work) and kept advancing in non-market services

In Q2 2025, in market services, private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) was virtually stable (+0.1% that is +10,000 jobs), after a slight fall in the previous quarter (-0.2% that is -23,900 jobs). Private payroll employment in this sector decreased by 0.3% over the year (that is -37,300 jobs) but exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level (+7.0% compared to the end of 2019 or +811,400 jobs).

In contrast, in non-market services,private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) kept increasing: +0.2% after +0.5% in the previous quarter (that is +5,500 jobs after +14,600 jobs). It exceeded its Q2 2024 level by 0.4% (or +10,600 jobs) and its end of 2019 level by 5.7% (or +150,600 jobs).

Private payroll employment change – in thousands

SA data in thousands
Private payroll employment change – in thousands (SA data in thousands) - How to read it: In Q2 2025, net private job creations in agriculture declined by 5,300 jobs compared to the previous quarter.
Change in thousands in 3 months Change in thousands in 1 year Change in thousands compared to the end of 2019 Level
2025 Q1 2025 Q2 2025 Q2 2025 Q2 2025 Q2
Agriculture -3,2 -5,3 -0,6 19,5 320,9
Goods-producing industries excl. Construction -2,5 -3,2 -7,0 68,0 3 197,5
Construction -10,3 -7,7 -29,7 54,7 1 533,1
Market services -27,2 6,0 -67,2 740,3 13 149,8
Temporary employment (*) -3,3 -4,0 -29,8 -71,1 704,8
Excluding temporary work -23,9 10,0 -37,3 811,4 12 445,0
Non-market services 14,6 5,5 10,6 150,6 2 771,8
Total Private -28,7 -4,8 -93,9 1 033,1 20 973,2
  • (*) Temporary workers are recorded in services, regardless of the sector in which they carry out their mission effectively.
  • How to read it: In Q2 2025, net private job creations in agriculture declined by 5,300 jobs compared to the previous quarter.
  • Scope: private payroll employment; France, excluding Mayotte.
  • Sources : URSSAF, 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 Change in percentage points compared to the end of 2019
2025 Q1 2025Q2 2025Q2 2025 Q2
Agriculture -1,0 -1,6 -0,2 6,5
Goods-producing industries excl. Construction -0,1 -0,1 -0,2 2,2
Construction -0,7 -0,5 -1,9 3,7
Market services -0,2 0,0 -0,5 6,0
Temporary employment (*) -0,5 -0,6 -4,1 -9,2
Excluding temporary work -0,2 0,1 -0,3 7,0
Non-market services 0,5 0,2 0,4 5,7
Total Private -0,1 0,0 -0,4 5,2
  • (*) 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: URSSAF, INSEE and DARES.

For more information

Next issue of the detailed estimate for the second quarter of 2025: 28 August 2025 at 8:45 am

Next issue of the flash estimate for the third quarter of 2025: 6 November 2025 at 8:45 am.

Pour en savoir plus

: bureau-de-presse@insee.fr