Your quick guide on talent and labor compliance norms in France
Capital
Paris
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Languages
French
Payroll Frequency
Monthly
GDP per Capita
$42,330.45
Employer Tax
30.50%-31.30%
Talent Overview
France holds the third-largest economy in Europe. France boasts economic growth and comes in 19th position with the highest GDP per capita ranking. The country is expanding more efficiently in tourism, agriculture, and industries.
Major economic hubs:
Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille
Skills in demand:
Cybersecurity, IoT, Software Developer, Data Analyst, Financial Analyst, System Analyst
Local Universities
The top local universities in France are as follows:
Local: 1
World: 233
Local: 2
World: 271
Local: 3
World: 273
Local: 4
World: 337
Local: 5
World: 390
Salary Data
The average monthly salary of some popular jobs in France are as follows:
| Job Title | Average Monthly Salary (EUR) | Average Monthly Salary (USD) |
| Accounting Manager | 6,140 | 6522.68 |
| Financial Analyst | 5,160 | 5481.60 |
| Office Manager | 3,390 | 3601.28 |
| Graphic Designer | 2,640 | 2804.54 |
| Sales Representative | 2,600 | 2762.05 |
Talent Sourcing Tips
Pole-emploi.fr, Indeed.fr, Monster.fr
25,390,000
Employment contracts are mandatory in France. In order to hire an individual from France, the employer must have knowledge about the employment laws, benefits, allowances, and more. This segment will help the employer with all the information required.
In France, there are two types of Employment contracts; CDI (Permanent employment) and CDD (Temporary employment). According to the France employment laws, CDI (contrat à durée indéterminée) is provided to an employee for continuing and indefinite service. CDI (contrat à durée déterminée) is provided to an employee hired for temporary employment and can not be extended over 18 months of service.
French is the preferred language for employment contracts though employees and employers have the option for the contract to be translated to other languages
The probationary period for employees ranges from 1 – 3 months.
| Date | Name | Type |
| 1 Jan | New Years day | National Holiday |
| 29 Mar | Good Friday | National Holiday |
| 1 Apr | Easter Monday | National Holiday |
| 1 May | Labor day | National Holiday |
| 8 May | Victory in Europe day | National Holiday |
| 9 May | Ascension day | National Holiday |
| 19 May | Pentecost | National Holiday |
| 14 Jul | Bastille day | National Holiday |
| 15 Aug | Assumption of Mary | National Holiday |
| 1 Nov | All Saints’ day | National Holiday |
| 11 Nov | Veterans day | National Holiday |
| 25 Dec | Christmas day | National Holiday |
| 26 Dec | Boxing day | National Holiday |
| Type of Leave | Time Period | Mandatory |
| Annual/Earned Leave | 35 days | Yes |
| Sick Leave | 90 days | Yes |
| Maternity Leave | 16 weeks | Yes |
Payroll
Payroll Cycle
The payroll cycle in France is monthly.
Minimum Wage
The French minimum wage (salaire minimum de croissance or SMIC) is adjusted every year on January 1. Read on the wages here:
Overtime Pay
Any hours of work beyond the statutory limit of 35 hours a week is considered overtime. The companies are entitled to compensate employees for overtime hours worked in the following structure:
Bonus
The 13th month’s pay is not mandatory in France. However, the employer can provide it on mutual agreement and is paid at the end of the year.
Taxes
| Funds | Contributions |
| Health, Disability, Maternity, Death | 13% |
| Autonomy Solidarity Contribution | 0.3% |
| Old-Age Insurance (Upper limit of 3,428 EUR) | 8.55% |
| Family Benefits | 3.45% or 5.25% |
| Unemployment | 4.05% |
| Wage Guarantee Insurance | 0.15% |
| Funds | Contributions |
| Old-Age Insurance (Upper limit of 3,428 EUR) | 6.9% |
| Social Security Surcharge | 9.2% |
| Social Security Debt Reimbursement Contribution | 0.5% |
| Total Compensation | Employee Social Contributions | Total Taxable Compensation | Single Employee | Married Employee | Employee with 1 child | Employee with 2 children |
| 35000 | 7,351 | 28,646 | 1,695 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40000 | 8,401 | 32,739 | 2,761 | 133 | 0 | 0 |
| 45000 | 9,405 | 36,877 | 3,879 | 728 | 0 | 0 |
| 50000 | 10,396 | 41,029 | 5,000 | 1,325 | 509 | 0 |
| 55000 | 11,387 | 45,180 | 6,121 | 1,922 | 1,106 | 289 |
| 60000 | 12,377 | 49,333 | 7,242 | 2,520 | 1,703 | 886 |
| 65000 | 13,368 | 53,484 | 8,363 | 3,045 | 2,300 | 1,483 |
| 70000 | 14,359 | 57,635 | 9,483 | 3,456 | 2,894 | 2,080 |
| 75000 | 15,349 | 61,788 | 10,605 | 4,527 | 3,305 | 2,677 |
| 80000 | 16,340 | 65,939 | 11,725 | 5,647 | 4,055 | 3,154 |
| 85000 | 17,331 | 70,091 | 12,847 | 6,769 | 5,177 | 3,585 |
| 90000 | 18,322 | 74,242 | 13,967 | 7,889 | 6,297 | 4,705 |
| 95000 | 19,312 | 78,395 | 15,088 | 9,010 | 7,418 | 5,826 |
| 100000 | 20,303 | 82,546 | 16,209 | 10,131 | 8,539 | 6,497 |
| 105000 | 21,294 | 86,698 | 17,713 | 11,252 | 9,660 | 8,068 |
| 110000 | 22,284 | 90,850 | 19,246 | 12,373 | 10,781 | 9,189 |
| 120000 | 24,266 | 99,153 | 22,310 | 14,615 | 13,023 | 11,431 |
| 150000 | 30,210 | 124,064 | 31,502 | 21,341 | 19,749 | 18,157 |
| 200000 | 40,169 | 165,547 | 48,336 | 34,058 | 32,466 | 30,874 |
| 250000 | 50,149 | 207,017 | 66,693 | 51,061 | 49,469 | 47,877 |
| 300000 | 60,129 | 248,487 | 85,355 | 68,064 | 66,472 | 64,880 |
The standard rate of Value Added Tax in France is 20%.
Offboarding & Termination
The employer can terminate the employment contract based on a valid reason (personal or financial reasons) or mutual consent or if the individual is retiring.
The notice period for employees under probation is up to 5 days, while regular employees will have up to 3 months.
The severance pay varies based on the individual’s service to the employer. The statutory severance pay is;
| Years of service | Severance Pay |
| Below 10 years | 25% of the monthly salary for each year of service |
| Above 10 years | 33.33% of the monthly salary for each year of service |
Visa and Immigration
If an individual stays more than 90 days, Long term Visa is mandatory. In order to avail of a long-term visa, supporting documents for the stay are required. Long-term visas are available to most nationalities, except for EEA and EU nationals.
| Min. French Wage (“SMIC”) | Gross amount (euros) | Net amount(deduction of employee contribution) |
| Hourly SMIC | EUR 11.65 | EUR 9.23 |
| Monthly SMIC | EUR 1,766.92 | EUR 1,398.70 |
| Yearly SMIC | EUR 21,203.00 | EUR 16,784.32 |
A Long Term visa with a residence permit can be issued based on the requirement of the individual. All the personal documents and passports issued before 10 years should be presented. The individual can be called upon by the French Office for Immigration and Integration for further information.
