Insee Focus · May 2021 · n° 233

In 2020, short-time work preserves employment in the French overseas departments

In 2020, in a context marked by the COVID-19 health crisis, the employment rate of people aged 15 to 64 in the historical overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Reunion) was stable overall, while the volume of hours worked fell significantly. Massive use of short-time work made it possible to preserve employment. The halt in certain activities and the restrictions on movement, by limiting job seeking and availability for work, led to a trompe l’oeil decrease in unemployment that was much more pronounced than in metropolitan France. As a result, on average over the year, the halo of unemployment, which is structurally high in the overseas departments, increased further, and the activity rate fell.