With 69,500 net job creations, an increase of 0.3%, private salaried employment slowed in the first quarter in France, according to the final estimate published Thursday by INSEE.

However, salaried employment exceeded its level of a year ago by 3.6% (ie +724,900 jobs).

The Institute for Statistics also revised employment growth in the fourth quarter of 2021 upwards to +0.8% against +0.6% in its previous estimate.

More broadly, via a methodological change, INSEE has revised job creations very sharply upwards between and the end of 2021 to include work-study students, which it has not done so far.

Apprenticeship having increased sharply in 2020 and especially in 2021, “this revision leads to the recognition of 240,000 additional job creations between the end of 2019 and the end of 2021”, specifies INSEE.

The different sectors under the magnifying glass

In total, at the end of March 2022, private salaried employment exceeded its level before the health crisis, at the end of 2019, by 3.3%, i.e. +651,700 jobs.

“This means that there has been a huge catch-up in 2021 and that we are in a good situation”, commented the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, on LCI.

“There will be fewer net creations (this year) than in 2021 (…) but the outlook remains positive”, he judged.

In detail, in the first quarter, the interim, compass of the job market, fell slightly (-1.7%, or -13,800 jobs) after seven consecutive quarters of increase.

In the commercial tertiary sector, private salaried employment maintained its momentum in the first quarter (+0.6%, or +78,000, after +70,300 jobs in the last quarter of 2021).

Industrial employment fell by 0.1% in the first quarter, after +0.2% in the previous quarter (i.e. -1,900 after +7,000 jobs).

Between the end of March 2021 and the end of March 2022, it increased by 0.8% (+25,000 jobs).

In construction, salaried employment slowed down this quarter: +0.1% after +0.4% in the previous quarter (ie +2,200 after +6,300 jobs).

Employment there increased by 1.9% over the year (ie +29,200 jobs).

Finally, salaried employment in the mainly non-market tertiary sector increased again: +0.2% after +0.3% in the previous quarter (i.e. +16,100 after +25,700 jobs), bringing the increase to +0.7% over one year (i.e. +58,000 jobs).

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