At the end of September 2025, payroll employment remained virtually unchanged compared with the end of June, following a slight increase in the previous quarter (i.e. -11,000 jobs after +49,000 jobs). Year on year, payroll employment fell in the private sector (-73,000), while it continued to rise in the civil service (+19,000). In particular, work-study employment (apprenticeships and “professionalisation” contracts), which contributed significantly to the past rise in total employment (accounting for around one third between end-2019 and end-2022), fell sharply in Q3 (-49,000 over the quarter and -27,000 year on year in the private sector), notably due to the reduction in the apprentice hiring subsidy in February 2025. Payroll employment in agriculture also slipped back sharply in Q3 2025 (-3.5%, or -11,500 jobs). This downturn was due to the particularly early grape harvest in 2025, which was more concentrated in August than usual, leading to an unusually low number of jobs in the sector at the end of September...