Informations Rapides ·
30 July 2026 · n° 186
In Q2 2026, private payroll employment was virtually stable (-0.1%) Flash estimate of payroll employment - second quarter 2026
Between March and June 2026, private payroll employment was virtually stable (-0.1% that is -19,300 jobs), as in the previous quarter (-0.1% that is -13,900 jobs). It was below its Q2 2025 by 0.4% (that is -79,700 jobs), decreasing year on year for the sixth consecutive quarter. It far exceeded its pre-pandemic level (end of Q4 2019) by 5.0% (that is +1.0 million jobs).
- In Q2 2026, private payroll employment was virtually stable over the quarter (-0.1%) and was below its Q2 2025 by 0.4%
- Temporary employment declined again
- Excluding temporary work, private payroll was virtually stable in industry and decreased again in construction
- Excluding temporary work, private payroll employment was stable in market services
- For more information
In Q2 2026, private payroll employment was virtually stable over the quarter (-0.1%) and was below its Q2 2025 by 0.4%
Between March and June 2026, private payroll employment was virtually stable (-0.1% that is -19,300 jobs), as in the previous quarter (-0.1% that is -13,900 jobs). It was below its Q2 2025 by 0.4% (that is -79,700 jobs), decreasing year on year for the sixth consecutive quarter. It far exceeded its pre-pandemic level (end of Q4 2019) by 5.0% (that is +1.0 million jobs).
tableauVariation in private payroll employment
| Total | Construction | Market services | Industry | Non-market services | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-Q2 | -19.3 | -6.1 | -9.7 | -3.2 | 2.1 |
| 2026-Q1 | -13.9 | -7.7 | -4.0 | -3.8 | 5.2 |
| 2025-Q4 | -19.5 | -5.1 | -15.5 | -5.1 | -7.8 |
| 2025-Q3 | -27.0 | -2.3 | -8.5 | -4.4 | -0.4 |
| 2025-Q2 | -0.3 | -4.8 | 13.5 | -4.8 | -3.1 |
| 2025-Q1 | -18.3 | -6.5 | -15.4 | -1.9 | 4.4 |
| 2024-Q4 | -30.7 | -7.2 | -25.6 | -0.4 | 6.8 |
| 2024-Q3 | 26.1 | -6.7 | 13.1 | 1.4 | 9.7 |
| 2024-Q2 | -25.3 | -7.8 | -25.3 | 3.7 | 7.8 |
| 2024-Q1 | 28.5 | -4.9 | 19.1 | 5.8 | 7.5 |
| 2023-Q4 | 9.7 | -3.8 | 9.1 | 6.6 | 7.9 |
| 2023-Q3 | 20.3 | -3.7 | 4.0 | 6.7 | 7.0 |
| 2023-Q2 | 23.8 | -1.4 | 3.5 | 7.4 | 6.5 |
| 2023-Q1 | 40.8 | -0.1 | 31.7 | 8.7 | 1.8 |
| 2022-Q4 | 102.4 | 0.3 | 84.5 | 3.6 | 9.0 |
| 2022-Q3 | 50.4 | 1.9 | 40.9 | 9.1 | 2.6 |
| 2022-Q2 | 35.6 | -1.2 | 32.2 | 6.3 | 5.2 |
| 2022-Q1 | 117.7 | 6.4 | 89.3 | 7.8 | 5.5 |
| 2021-Q4 | 146.6 | 4.1 | 138.1 | 3.7 | -6.2 |
| 2021-Q3 | 216.0 | 9.9 | 186.3 | 10.3 | 10.7 |
| 2021-Q2 | 234.4 | 12.8 | 200.3 | 9.6 | 5.9 |
| 2021-Q1 | 192.7 | 22.2 | 130.2 | 15.8 | 28.2 |
| 2020-Q4 | 34.8 | 15.6 | 3.1 | -5.0 | 16.1 |
| 2020-Q3 | 428.1 | 24.2 | 363.1 | -3.6 | 40.8 |
| 2020-Q2 | -78.1 | 15.6 | -68.6 | -15.5 | -14.4 |
| 2020-Q1 | -474.3 | -3.2 | -450.6 | -7.0 | -7.2 |
| 2019-Q4 | 116.9 | 11.7 | 114.0 | 3.1 | 5.3 |
| 2019-Q3 | 43.7 | 14.3 | 7.8 | 0.5 | 5.2 |
| 2019-Q2 | 25.4 | 13.0 | 4.4 | 6.4 | -0.8 |
| 2019-Q1 | 162.3 | 18.6 | 117.8 | 14.8 | 5.2 |
graphiqueVariation in private payroll employment
- Scope: France excluding Mayotte.
- Source: INSEE, URSSAF, DARES.
Temporary employment declined again
In Q2 2026, temporary employment decreased again (-1.4% that is -9,700 jobs), more sharply than in the previous quarter (-0.4% that is -3,000 jobs). Temporary employment was below its Q2 2025 level by 1.9% (that is -13,500 jobs) and by 10.4% compared to its pre-pandemic level (that is -81,100 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 was virtually stable in industry and decreased again in construction
Between March and June 2026, private payroll employment in agriculture decreased modestly (-0.8% that is -2,500 jobs), as in the previous quarter (-1.1% that is -3,600 jobs). In June 2026, private payroll employment in agriculture was 1.1% below its level at the end of June 2025.
Industrial private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) decreased very slightly in Q2 2026 (-0.1%, that is -3,200 jobs), bringing the year-on-year fall to -0.5% (that is -16,500 jobs). It returned to its mid-2023 level but still exceeded its pre-pandemic level (+1.7% that is +51,700 jobs).
In construction, private payroll employment decreased again in Q2 2026: -0.4% (that is -6,100 jobs) after -0.5% in the previous quarter (that is -7,700 jobs), bringing the year-on-year fall to -1.4% (that is -21,200 jobs). It exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level (+2.7%, that is +40,600 jobs compared to the end of 2019).
Excluding temporary work, private payroll employment was stable in market services
In Q2 2026, in market services, private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) remained stable. It was just below its Q2 2025 level (-0.2%, that is -24,300 jobs), but exceeded sharply its pre-pandemic level (+7.0%, that is +819,600 jobs).
In non-market services, private payroll employment (excluding temporary work) was virtually stable after a slight increase in the previous quarter: +0.1% after +0.2% (that is +2,100 jobs after +5,200 jobs). It was stable compared to its level in June 2025 (that is -800 jobs) but exceeded sharply its end of 2019 level by 5.8% (or +151,700 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Q1 | 2026 Q2 | 2026 Q2 | 2026 Q2 | 2026 Q2 | |
| Agriculture | -3.6 | -2.5 | -3.5 | 18.7 | 320.2 |
| Goods-producing industries excl. Construction | -3.8 | -3.2 | -16.5 | 51.7 | 3,180.5 |
| Construction | -7.7 | -6.1 | -21.2 | 40.6 | 1,518.1 |
| Market services | -4.0 | -9.7 | -37.7 | 738.5 | 13,158.2 |
| Temporary employment (*) | -3.0 | -9.7 | -13.5 | -81.1 | 694.8 |
| Excluding temporary work | -1,0 | 0.0 | -24.3 | 819.6 | 12,463.4 |
| Non-market services | 5.2 | 2.1 | -0.8 | 151.7 | 2,773.7 |
| Total Private | -13.9 | -19.3 | -79.7 | 1,001.1 | 20,950.8 |
- (*) Temporary workers are recorded in services, regardless of the sector in which they carry out their mission effectively.
- How to read it: In Q2 2026, net private job creations in agriculture decreased by 2,500 jobs compared to the previous quarter.
- Scope: private payroll employment; France, excluding Mayotte.
- Sources : URSSAF, INSEE, 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Q1 | 2026Q2 | 2026Q2 | 2026Q2 | |
| Agriculture | -1.1 | -0.8 | -1.1 | 6.2 |
| Goods-producing industries excl. Construction | -0.1 | -0.1 | -0.5 | 1.7 |
| Construction | -0.5 | -0.4 | -1.4 | 2.7 |
| Market services | 0.0 | -0.1 | -0.3 | 5.9 |
| Temporary employment (*) | -0.4 | -1.4 | -1.9 | -10.4 |
| Excluding temporary work | 0.0 | 0.0 | -0.2 | 7.0 |
| Non-market services | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 5.8 |
| Total Private | -0.1 | -0.1 | -0.4 | 5.0 |
- (*) 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. DARES.
For more information
Next issue of the detailed estimate for the second quarter of 2026: 28 August 2026 at 8:45 am
Next issue of the flash estimate for the third quarter of 2026: 30 October 2026 at 8:45 am
Documentation
Methodology Employment Flash November 2024 (pdf,492 Ko)
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