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JOBS

Record number of jobs will be on offer in France in 2019

A record number of jobs will be on offer in France in 2019, according to a survey of French companies conducted by the government's unemployment office.

Published: 12 April 2019 08:13 CEST
Record number of jobs will be on offer in France in 2019
Jobs as a roofer have been hard to fill in France. Photo: AFP

The annual survey of French companies showed that record numbers plan to recruit this year, but many anticipate difficulties in finding suitable candidates.

The top occupations that are hard to fill in France are car bodyworkers, roofers, plumbers, heating engineers and home carers.

The data – a survey of 436,000 French companies commissioned by the French government unemployment office Pôle emploi – showed that 14.8 percent of firms were planning on expanding their workforce in 2019, creating a potential 2.69 million jobs on offer.

READ ALSO 


The Pôle emploi estimates that there will be a total of 2.69 million jobs on offer in 2019. Photo: AFP

The sectors that will be particularly in search of labour in the coming months are construction (where 26 percent of firms surveyed said they intended to hire more people), industry (20 percent), business services (20 percent), trade (11 percent) and agriculture (eight percent). 

“With a 14.8 percent increase in recruitment plans in 2019, hiring intentions are this year at their highest level in ten years,” Jean Bassères, Director General of Pôle emploi, told Le Parisien.

And more good news is that the much of the planned recruitment is for stable jobs, rather that short-term or seasonal work.

“The industrial sector, which will be recruiting a lot this year, traditionally needs permanent contracts,” added Bassères. 

But French entrepreneurs say they are anticipating more difficulties in recruiting this year than in 2018.

According to them, one out of two hiring projects will be difficult to complete (compared to 44.4 percent in 2018).

Three-quarters of employers expect these difficulties to be related to the inadequate profile of candidates (lack of experience, motivation, skills) and 35 percent link this difficulty to the proposed working conditions.

FIND A JOB: Browse thousands of English-language jobs in France

French vocab for job hunting

Pôle emploi – the unemployment office, where you can sign on if you are looking for work

Postuler à un poste – apply for a job 

Une offre/annonce d'emploi – job advert

Contract Duration Indeterminée (CDI)  – a permanent contract

Contract Duration Determinée (CDD) – a temporary, fixed term contract. Usually for a maximum of 18 months

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WORKING IN FRANCE

How to get a summer job in France

As the summer holidays approach in France, many employers are looking for seasonal workers - so if you're looking for a summer job, here's how to go about it.

Published: 25 May 2022 13:15 CEST
How to get a summer job in France

There are thousands of employment offers in France – a simple internet search for jobs d’été came up with numerous jobs boards offering work in France, while the government-backed Centre d’Information et de Documentation pour la Jeunesse (CIDJ) offers advice and information on all aspects of life for young people in France, including finding seasonal work and summer placements.

Sectors including agriculture, hospitality and tourism are always recruiting in the summer, seeking fruit-pickers, holiday camp workers and serving/hotel staff.

But what are the rules for people seeking summer jobs?

READ ALSO Vendange: What you really sign up for when you agree to help with the French wine harvest

Age

Children from the age of 16 (under certain circumstances, the age limit drops to 14) who are legally resident in France can work as long as they have written authorisation from their parents or legal guardians. A model authorisation letter is available here. 

Those under the age of 18 cannot undertake certain jobs for health and safety reasons.

In the following circumstances, children as young as 14 or 15 can work during school holidays.

  • The holidays must last at least 14 days;
  • The child must work no more than half the days of the holiday – so, if a vacation period is two weeks, they can work for no more than one of those weeks;
  • The child is given ‘light duties’ that offer no risk to their safety, health, or development;
  • From the age of 15 and if the child has completed their troisieme education, a minor can register for an apprenticeship. 

Salary

Salary is usually paid monthly and will have a payslip. For those aged 18 and over, pay will be at least equal to the minimum wage.

 For those aged 14 to 17, who have less than six months’ professional experience, the minimum allowed rate is 80 percent of the minimum wage. For those aged 17 to 18, the rate rises to a minimum of 90 percent of France’s minimum wage.

  • The minimum wage in France is currently €10.85 gross per hour (€1,645.58 gross per month based on a 35-hour week);
  • the employment contract is fixed-term and can take different forms (fixed-term contract, seasonal employment contract, temporary employment contract, etc);
  • Seasonal employees are subject to the same obligations as the other employees of the company and have access to the same benefits (canteens, breaks, etc.).

Under 18s have certain additional protections:

  • between the ages of 14 and 16, during school holidays, employees on any contract cannot work more than 35 hours per week nor more than 7 hours per day;
  • They cannot work at night;
  • Those aged 14 to under 16 working during their school holidays can only be assigned to work which is not likely to harm their safety, their health or development.

Right to work in France

If you’re a French citizen or hold permanent residency in France then you have the right to work, but for foreigners there are extra restrictions.

Anyone who holds the passport of a EU/EEA country or Switzerland, is free to work in France or to travel to France seeking work without needing a visa or work permit.

Most other people will need permission to work in France – even if it’s only for a short period or for casual work such as grape-picking. Depending on your country of origin you may need a visa – everything you need to know about that is here.

In addition to the visa, you may also need a work permit, which is the responsibility of the employer.  To employ anyone in France for less than 90 days, an employer must get a temporary work permit – before the prospective employee applies for a short stay visa. This permit is then sent to the embassy at which the employee is applying for a visa.

If you come from countries including the UK, USA and Canada you can spend up to 90 days in France without a visa – but you may still need a work (convention d’accueil) if you want to work while you are here.

READ ALSO Six official websites to know if you’re planning to work in France

Certain countries have specific ‘seasonal worker’ visas on offer, for certain sectors which allows – for example – Canadians to come to France and work the ski season. 

Cash-in-hand jobs

Certain sectors which have a lot of casual workers – for example seasonal fruit-picking – do have cash-in-hand jobs, known in France as marché noir (black market) or simply travail au black (working on the black, or working illegally). 

This is of course illegal and working this way carries risks – as well as the possibility of losing your job if labour inspectors turn up you are also in a vulnerable position. If your employer suddenly decides not to pay you, or make unexpected deductions from your wages, there is very little you can do about it since you won’t have any kind of work contract. 

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