France, officially the French Republic, is a country located in northwestern Europe with a real GDP growth rate of 3% in the third quarter of 2021. The country borders the Bay of Biscay to the West; the English Channel to the Northwest; Belgium and Luxembourg to the Northeast; Switzerland to the East; Italy to the Southeast; and Spain to the South. It is the largest agricultural producer in Europe and among the world’s largest economies. France is a part of many organizations and plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-7, the G-20, the EU, and other multilateral organizations.
France is the most visited country in the world with 90 million foreign tourists in 2019. The main industries are machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing, and tourism.
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in France.
Capital : Paris | Currency : Euro (€, EUR) | Languages spoken : French |
Population : 67.62 million (2022 est.) | Minimum wage 2022 : €1,645.58 (Monthly) | Cost of Living index : $$$ (19 of 139 nations) |
Payroll Frequency : Monthly | VAT - standard rate : 20% | GDP - real growth rate : -7.9% (2020 est.) |
The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2022.
In France, 11 public holidays are provided for by law. The Alsace region and the Moselle department observe two additional days. Unlike most countries, these holidays do not shift when they fall during a weekend.
When hiring new employees in France through WorkMotion, the approximate onboarding time is only 4 business days.
Our team ensures compliance with local employment legislation, as well as a quick and efficient onboarding process. The minimum onboarding time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.
For more complex onboardings, this time may increase depending on the selected bouquet of contract inclusions and the right-to-work status of the employee.
Any hour of work accomplished, at the employer’s request, beyond the legal duration of 35 hours is an additional hour. The senior executive and employees working on “forfait-jours” are not affected by overtime. In the absence of a collective agreement or company agreement, the overtime worked beyond the legal weekly duration is increased by:
The notice period served by the employee or the employer varies according to their seniority in the company, under the following conditions:
| Employment Tenure | Notice Period |
| Less than 6 months’ tenure | No legal minimum period |
| 6 months to 2 years | 1 month |
| More than 2 years | 2 months |
Collective agreements for managers generally set higher notice periods: around two months at nine months tenure, three months at four years, and four months at 20 years. There are prescribed notice periods for fixed-term contract employees and employees under probation as well.
The total duration of the required leave may not exceed 25 working days (for five-day workweeks and five weeks) for a full year of work (from June 1 to May 31 in the absence of another period fixed by a company or a conventional agreement). The main holiday (i.e. a maximum of four consecutive weeks) cannot be taken in its entirety during the holiday period (from May 1 to October 31). The main leave is then split. The employee can benefit from additional days of leave known as split days, under certain conditions.
Parental leave is offered as an additional leave over the annual leave. Employees under the age of 21 on April 30 of the previous year benefit from two additional days of annual leave per dependent child. This leave is reduced to one day if the legal leave does not exceed six days. There is also additional leave in case of education and sickness of a child that is provided on an unpaid basis.
The pregnant employee has the right to 16 weeks of maternity leave (in principle, six weeks before the expected date of childbirth and 10 weeks after). To qualify for maternity benefit, the employee must have been insured for at least 10 months before their pregnancy began. In the event of a pathological condition certified by a medical certificate, maternity leave may be extended by two weeks before the expected date of childbirth and by four weeks after it.
Adoption leave is 16 weeks. This leave is increased to 22 weeks for the adoption of more than one child. If the adopted child is at least the third child in the household, the leave period is extended to 18 weeks.
Paternity leave has been lengthened as of July 1, 2021.The duration is different for single and multiple births.
All leave must be taken within the six months following the child’s birth.
A new category of leave, compensated by maternity insurance, is offered when a child or a dependent under the age of 25 dies as of January 1, 2020. The three-day waiting period necessary in sick leave is waived off for this leave. The leave is prescribed following the child’s death within 13 weeks of death. It must be taken within one year of the death and lasts a maximum of eight or 15 days, which can be divided up depending on the insured’s professional situation.
As of January 2022, the following social security statutory deductions are payable by the employer:
*This rate varies based on company size and risks.
**The rate of 3.45% applies to businesses eligible for the general decrease in contributions and to annual salaries lower than or equal to 3.5 times the legal minimum wage (SMIC).
***The upper limit is equal to four monthly social security ceilings (4 x 3,428 €).
Employees working in France are eligible for health insurance through their social security contributions (cotisations socialise).
Social security also pays for daily cash benefits during certified sick leave. This benefit is paid at 50% of the basic average salary for a maximum of 360 daily benefits over any three-year period.
The eligibility rules for accident-at-work benefits in kind are the same as those for in-kind health insurance benefits, with the exception that all care (medical, surgical, and pharmacy) in this case is covered by the Fund at a rate of 100% while it is 70% for regular health insurance.
| Condition | Benefit | Limit |
| Day of accident | Full daily wage paid by the employer. | Not applicable |
| The first 28 days of prescribed medical leave | A daily allowance of 60% of daily wage | €205.84 per day |
| 29th day – 3 months | A daily allowance of 80% of daily wage | €274.46 per day |
| More than 3 months | The claimant’s benefit rate can be revised upward in the event of a general wage rise. | Daily net wage |
To qualify for unemployment benefits (Return to employment benefit /”ARE”), the claimant must meet the following seven requirements:
The French pension system is made up of three pillars:
A French pension is typically available to those who have lived and worked in France for a set number of years (must have worked for at least 10 years) and meet other conditions. The maximum pension amount can only be claimed after working in France for 40–43 years. However, earners can also pay into a supplementary pension and/or private pension plan for more pension security.
The employer pays 5.25% or 3.45% of the total earnings.
A variety of family benefits are provided under French law from an “Infant welcome benefit” to Family, Housing, Maintenance, and Special Education allowances. Family allowances increase may be granted as per the child’s age.
The information contained in this Country Guide is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. The contents of this Country Guide contain general information and may not reflect current legal developments or address your situation. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this Country Guide without seeking the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for actions you take or fail to take based on any content included in this Country Guide.
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