Self-employed workers’ earned income in 2012 - Decrease for both “traditional” self-employed workers and auto-entrepreneurs

At the end of 2012 in France, more than 2.5 million people were engaged in a self-employed activity, excluding the agricultural sector. For 90% of them, this was their main activity. Auto-entrepreneurship applied to 588,000 self-employed workers (23%), i.e. 100,000 more than at end 2011. In 2012, “traditional” self-employed workers earned 3,110 euros a month on average, from 930 euros in the retail trade excluding shops to more than 8,500 euros for the legal and accounting professions. Auto-entrepreneurs on average earned 450 euros a month from their activity. In any given sector, women earned one third less than men. Between 2011 and 2012, the average income fell by 1.8% in constant euros for traditional self-employed workers and by 3.3% for auto-entrepreneurs. The incomes of traditional self-employed workers were sharply down in the legal and accountancy professions, accommodation and catering activities, the pharmaceutical trade and food trades. In contrast, incomes rose sharply in information and communication activities and in arts and entertainment. In construction, after a slight recovery in 2011, wages fell again: in five years, the decline was 10% in constant euros.