France payroll employment: construction (Section F)
France payroll employment: construction (Section F) stood at 1,519.4 thousand persons in Q2 2026, according to INSEE – Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (BDM). It is one of the indicators in the Payroll employment table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q4 1970 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Payroll employment table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll employment | |||||||||||
| Construction - Section F | 1,519.4 | 1,526.1 | 1,533.5 | 1,538.5 | 1,541 | 1,545.7 | 1,552 | 1,559.2 | 1,565.9 | 1,573.8 | |
| Tertiary market services - Sections G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, R, S, T | 13,336.6 | 13,345.2 | 13,341.2 | 13,352 | 13,367.6 | 13,346.5 | 13,356.8 | 13,377.4 | 13,369.9 | 13,394.5 |
Understanding france payroll employment: construction (Section F)
This series tallies salaried employment specifically linked to building sites, civil engineering projects, and specialized construction trades. The count includes both manual workers on building sites and administrative staff attached to construction enterprises, but excludes independent contractors and self-employed artisans who lack a formal employment contract. Unlike broader economic groupings that bundle manufacturing or services together, this metric isolates the bricks-and-mortar sector to capture shifts in residential, commercial, and infrastructure building activity.
Interpreting these figures requires accounting for weather-driven seasonality, particularly during winter months when outdoor building activity typically slows. Early estimates are subject to provisional revisions as administrative payroll declarations from smaller firms are fully processed. Analysts should prioritize year-on-year comparisons to smooth out predictable seasonal fluctuations, while distinguishing payroll counts from broader surveys of total employment that incorporate self-employed workers.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series include independent construction contractors?
- No, the count is strictly limited to salaried employees on formal payrolls and excludes self-employed craftspeople.
- Why do winter months often show dips in this workforce?
- Adverse weather conditions frequently interrupt outdoor construction and civil engineering projects, causing temporary employment contractions.
- Are administrative staff within building firms counted here?
- Yes, office personnel working directly for construction enterprises are included alongside site laborers.