Informations Rapides · 7 September 2023 · n° 226

In Q2 2023, payroll employment slowed down: +0.1%, after +0.4% Payroll employment - second quarter 2023

Between the end of March 2023 and the end of June 2023, payroll employment was virtually stable: +0.1% (or +21,000 net job creations) after +0.4% in the previous quarter (that is +101,800 jobs). It had strongly grown in 2021 and 2022 and exceeded thus its pre-sanitary crisis level (end of 2019) by 5.0% (that is +1.3 million jobs). It exceeded its Q2 2022 level by +1.0% (that is +279,900 jobs).

Private payroll employment sharply slackened in Q2 2023: +0.1% (that is +12,200 jobs) after +0.4% in the previous quarter (that is +94,100 jobs). It topped its Q2 2022 level by 1.3% (that is +261,400 jobs) and its pre-sanitary crisis level by 6.1% (that is nearly 1.2 million jobs).

Public payroll employment was virtually stable again: +0.1% (that is +8,700 jobs), after +0.1% (that is 7,700 jobs) in the previous quarter. It topped his Q4 2019 level by 1.2% (that is +73,200 jobs).

In Q2 2023, temporary employment decreased again but less than in Q1 2023: -0.5% (or -4,300 jobs) after -2.5% in the previous quarter (or -20,400 jobs). Temporary employment was below its Q2 2022 level by 1.5% but remained above its pre-sanitary crisis level (+1.5%).

As a reminder, in this publication temporary workers are accounted for in the temporary employment sector which pays them (within market services), whichever sector they carry out their assignment (agriculture, industry, construction, market or non market services).

Excluding temporary work, private payroll slowed down significantly in market services in Q2 2023: +0.2% (+22,100 jobs), after +0.8% in Q1 2023 (+96,700 jobs). It topped its Q2 2022 level by 1.7% (that is +212,800 jobs) and its pre-sanitary level by 7.7% (that is +911,000 jobs). In market services, excluding temporary work, payroll employment increased in “other service activities” (+18,000 jobs) and in accommodation and food service activities (+6,000 jobs). However, payroll employment fell back in transportation and storage (-5,800 jobs) and in real estate activities (-3,100 jobs).

Payroll employment in non-market services increased by 0.1% (+7,400 jobs) in Q2 2023 after +0.2% in the previous quarter. Particularly, in non-market services, private payroll employment was at a standstill: 0.0%, after +0.4% in Q1 2023.

Industrial payroll employment (excluding temporary work) rose in Q2 2023 by 0.2% (that is +5,600 jobs) after a rise of 0.3% in the previous quarter (+9,400 jobs). It exceeded by 1.1% its Q2 2022 level (that is +35,800 jobs). After having reached its pre-sanitary level in Q3 2021, it topped it in Q2 2023 by 2.0% (that is +65,200 jobs since the end of 2019).

In the construction sector, payroll employment sharply decreased in Q2 2023 (-0.5%, that is -7,300 jobs) after a stability in the previous quarter. It was nearly at its Q2 2022 level (-0.1%) but exceeded its pre-sanitary crisis level by 7.4%.

Finally, in Q2 2023, payroll employment in agriculture fell back (-0.8% after +0.4%). It remained above its Q2 2022 level (+1.7%).

Compared to the employment detailed estimate published on 8 June 2023, the quarterly increase in payroll employment (private and public) in Q1 2023 has been revised upwards by 9,400 jobs and its relative evolution by 0.1 points. The revisions are due to the updating of the coefficients of seasonal variations.

Compared to the flash estimate published on 4 August 2023, the quarterly increase in payroll employment in the private sector alone in Q2 2023 has been revised downwards by 7,500 jobs, its relative evolution remaining unchanged.