Labour · Europe & Central Asia · High income
France: the labour market
Labour force is 31.9m (2025), 22nd of 187 in the world and 5th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 55.3% (2025), 138th of 187 in the world and 38th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 51.5% (2025), 109th of 187 in the world and 32nd of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
France
Participation rate
FranceEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: France in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 31.9m2025 | 22/187 | 5/49 | 27.3m | 29.8m | 30.3m | +5.3%since 2015 | 429m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 55.3%2025 | 138/187 | 38/49 | 55.3% | 56.2% | 54.3% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 51.5%2025 | 109/187 | 32/49 | 48.5% | 51.1% | 50.0% | +0.5 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 51.2%2025 | 135/187 | 37/49 | 49.7% | 51.0% | 49.9% | +1.3 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 7.5%2025 | 57/187 | 14/49 | 10.2% | 9.3% | 8.0% | −2.8 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 7.5%2025 | 66/187 | 14/49 | 12.2% | 9.6% | 8.0% | −2.3 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 18.9%2025 | 57/187 | 18/49 | 20.5% | 23.6% | 20.4% | −6.4 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 11.0%2025 | 131/170 | 19/46 | 10.2% | 12.9% | 12.7% | −3.0 ppsince 2015 | 11.4% | 10.6% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 86.7%2025 | 35/187 | 18/49 | 88.6% | 88.5% | 87.6% | −1.7 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 8.5%2025 | 158/187 | 34/49 | 7.0% | 7.0% | 8.2% | +1.2 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 2.3%2025 | 155/187 | 38/49 | 3.9% | 2.9% | 2.4% | −0.4 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 19.3%2025 | 87/187 | 32/49 | 26.4% | 22.3% | 20.0% | −1.0 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 78.3%2025 | 27/187 | 10/49 | 69.7% | 74.8% | 77.7% | +1.4 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+0.5 pp51.5% in 2025
- Employment rate+1.3 pp51.2% in 2025
- Unemployment−2.8 pp7.5% in 2025
- Female unemployment−2.3 pp7.5% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Wage workers−1.7 pp86.7% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment+1.2 pp8.5% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
France and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with France. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | France | Brazil | Germany | Italy | Spain | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 31.9m2025 | 108m2025 | 43.5m2025 | 25.7m2025 | 24.8m2025 | 10.3m2025 |
| Participation rate | 55.3%2025 | 63.1%2025 | 60.6%2025 | 49.3%2025 | 57.4%2025 | 67.2%2025 |
| Women's participation | 51.5%2025 | 53.4%2025 | 55.3%2025 | 40.8%2025 | 52.8%2025 | 62.7%2025 |
| Employment rate | 51.2%2025 | 59.4%2025 | 58.3%2025 | 46.2%2025 | 51.5%2025 | 64.6%2025 |
| Unemployment | 7.5%2025 | 6.0%2025 | 3.7%2025 | 6.4%2025 | 10.4%2025 | 3.9%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 7.5%2025 | 7.3%2025 | 3.4%2025 | 7.3%2025 | 11.9%2025 | 4.1%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 18.9%2025 | 14.0%2025 | 6.9%2025 | 20.5%2025 | 24.7%2025 | 8.8%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 11.0%2025 | 18.7%2025 | 8.2%2025 | 9.9%2025 | 9.4%2025 | 3.9%2025 |
| Wage workers | 86.7%2025 | 69.7%2025 | 91.9%2025 | 78.9%2025 | 85.5%2025 | 83.2%2025 |