Insee Première · March 2025 · n° 2044

Labour market at a glance in 2024 Youth employment fell, but it continued to rise for older people

In 2024, in France, 68.8% of people aged 15 to 64 were in employment as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO). Up by an average of 0.5 points over the year, this annual employment rate reached its highest level since INSEE measures it (1975). After rising sharply in the wake of the Covid‑19 outbreak, the employment rate for young people fell back. By contrast, employment continued to increase for older people.

The cumulative share of fixed-term and temporary employment declined for the second consecutive year: at 9.5%, it was 0.7 points below its 2019 level.

In 2024, 18.2% of employees teleworked at least one day a week, down slightly on 2023 (-0.6 points). Eight out of ten teleworkers were satisfied with the number of days they teleworked.

The share of people in part-time employment, which had stabilised in 2023 after five years of decline, increased by 0.2 points in 2024, to 17.6%. Underemployment stabilised at 4.3%, its lowest level since 1992.

The unemployment rate as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO) is virtually stable over the year, averaging 7.4% in 2024, 2.9 points below its peak level reached in 2015. The unemployment halo for people aged 15 to 64 fell slightly, by 0.2 points to 4.5%.

Like the employment rate, the activity rate of people aged 15 to 64 were at its highest since 1975 (74.4% in 2024, +0.5 points over the year).