Insee Première · September 2022 · n° 1923

Low-wage earners in the private sector: only a small majority escaped four years later

In 2019, 8% of private sector employees received a low salary, i.e. less than 1,310 euros net a month in full-time equivalent, a threshold that corresponds to two-thirds of the median salary.

Women and young people were more affected by this situation. In some occupations, low wages were particularly prevalent: more than 40% of domestic workers, laboratory workers and other low-skilled craft workers received low wages.

Among low-wage earners in 2015, a quarter were still in low-wage employment four years later in 2019, and only a small majority of them were in better-paid jobs.

Wage insecurity can also be the result of low volumes of work and thus can be assessed in terms of wage income received during the year. One third of employees received a low wage income in 2019, mainly because they were not employed all year round. This situation is more durable than holding a low-wage job: 37% of those with low wage incomes in 2015 were still with low wage incomes in 2019.