Informations Rapides ·
30 January 2026 · n° 27
In Q4 2025, private payroll employment was virtually stable Flash estimate of payroll employment - fourth quarter 2025
Between September and December 2025, private payroll employment declined very slightly by 0.1% (that is -28,700 jobs), as the previous quarter(-0.1% that is -27,300 jobs) bringing the year-on-year fall to -0.2% (that is -40,800 jobs). It far exceeded its pre-pandemic level (end of Q4 2019) by +5.3% (that is +1.1 million jobs).
The flash estimate for private payroll employment is now available less than 30 days after the end of the quarter in question (compared with an average of 37 days previously); it concerned only private employment.
- In Q4 2025, private payroll employment was vitually stable over the quarter (-0.1%) and declined by 0.2% over a year
- Temporary employment was virtually stable
- Private payroll employment bounced back in agriculture but decreased very slightly in industry and in construction
- Excluding temporary work, private payroll employment declined in services
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In Q4 2025, private payroll employment was vitually stable over the quarter (-0.1%) and declined by 0.2% over a year
Between September and December 2025, private payroll employment declined very slightly by 0.1% (that is -28,700 jobs), as the previous quarter(-0.1% that is -27,300 jobs) bringing the year-on-year fall to -0.2% (that is -40,800 jobs). It far exceeded its pre-pandemic level (end of Q4 2019) by +5.3% (that is +1.1 million jobs).
Temporary employment was virtually stable
In Q4 2025, temporary employment was virtually stable (+0.1% that is +800 jobs) after a moderate decrease in the previous quarter (-0.6% that is -4,300 jobs). Temporary employment was below its Q4 2024 level by 1.1% (that is -7,500 jobs) and by 9.0% its pre-pandemic level (that is -69,500 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).
Private payroll employment bounced back in agriculture but decreased very slightly in industry and in construction
Between September and December 2025, private payroll employment in agriculture bounced back (+2.6% that is +8,100 jobs), after -3.5% in the previous quarter (-11,500 jobs). The downturn in Q3 2025 was due to a particularly early grape harvest in 2025, more concentrated in August than usual, which led to an unusually low number of jobs in September. Private payroll employment in agriculture was 1.2% below its level at the end of September 2024.
Industrial private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) decreased very sligthly in Q4 2025 (-0.1%, that is -3,200 jobs) after a slightly decrease in the previous quarter (-0.2% that is -4,900 jobs). It was 0.4% below its level at the end of December 2024 (that is -13,100 jobs). It exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level (+2.0% that is +61,000 jobs).
In construction, private payroll employment decreased in Q4 2025 (-0.2% that is -3,100 jobs) after a stability in the previous quarter, bringing the year-on-year fall to -1.0% (that is -15,800 jobs). It still exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level (+3.9%, that is +58,100 jobs compared to the end of 2019).
Excluding temporary work, private payroll employment declined in services
In Q4 2025, in market services, private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) decreased by 0.2% (that is -19,400 jobs), after a stability in the previous quarter (-5,700 jobs). It was just below its Q4 2024 level by 0.1% (that is -14,400 jobs), but still exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level (+7.2% compared to the end of 2019 or +841,800 jobs).
In non-market services, private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) went also down: -0.4% after a stability in Q3 2025 (that is -12,000 jobs after -800 jobs). It exceeded its Q4 2024 level by 0.5% (or +14,000 jobs) and its end of 2019 level by 5.6% (or +148,000 jobs).
tableauPrivate payroll employment change – in thousands
| Change in thousands in 3 months | Change in thousands in 1 year | Change in thousands compared to the end of 2019 | Level | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 2025 Q4 | 2025 Q4 | 2025 Q4 | 2025 Q4 | |
| Agriculture | -11.5 | 8.1 | -4,0 | 20.3 | 321.8 |
| Goods-producing industries excl. Construction | -4.9 | -3.2 | -13.1 | 61,0 | 3,190.6 |
| Construction | -0.1 | -3.1 | -15.8 | 58.1 | 1,536.5 |
| Market services | -10,0 | -18.5 | -21.9 | 772.3 | 13,182.8 |
| Temporary employment (*) | -4.3 | 0.8 | -7.5 | -69.5 | 706.4 |
| Excluding temporary work | -5.7 | -19.4 | -14.4 | 841.8 | 12,476.3 |
| Non-market services | -0.8 | -12,0 | 14,0 | 148,0 | 2,769.6 |
| Total Private | -27.3 | -28.7 | -40.8 | 1,059.7 | 21,001.2 |
- (*) Temporary workers are recorded in services, regardless of the sector in which they carry out their mission effectively.
- How to read it: In Q4 2025, net private job creations in agriculture increased by 8,100 jobs compared to the previous quarter.
- Scope: private payroll employment; France, excluding Mayotte.
- Sources : URSSAF, INSEE and DARES.
tableauPrivate payroll employment change – in percentage points
| 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 Q3 | 2025Q4 | 2025Q4 | 2025 Q4 | |
| Agriculture | -3.5 | 2.6 | -1.2 | 6.7 |
| Goods-producing industries excl. Construction | -0.2 | -0.1 | -0.4 | 2,0 |
| Construction | 0,0 | -0.2 | -1,0 | 3.9 |
| Market services | -0.1 | -0.1 | -0.2 | 6.2 |
| Temporary employment (*) | -0.6 | 0.1 | -1.1 | -9,0 |
| Excluding temporary work | 0,0 | -0.2 | -0.1 | 7.2 |
| Non-market services | 0,0 | -0.4 | 0.5 | 5.6 |
| Total Private | -0.1 | -0.1 | -0.2 | 5.3 |
- (*) 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 fourth quarter of 2025: 27 February 2026 at 8:45 am
Next issue of the flash estimate for the first quarter of 2026: 30 April 2026 at 8:45 am
Documentation
Methodology Employment Flash November 2024 (pdf,492 Ko)
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