France short-time work share: professional activities
France short-time work share: professional activities stood at 0.09% in Q2 2026, according to URSSAF – Union de recouvrement des cotisations de sécurité sociale et d'allocations familiales. It is one of the indicators in the Private employment and short-time work (URSSAF) table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 2018 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Private employment and short-time work (URSSAF) table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-time work base as a share of the gross wage bill | |||||||||||
| Other professional, scientific and technical activities | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.09 | 0.11 | 0.16 | |
| Administrative and support services | 0.09 | 0.12 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.1 |
Understanding france short-time work share: professional activities
Computing the ratio of public wage compensation relative to total gross remuneration, this metric captures workforce curtailment across specialized scientific, technical, and auxiliary business services not classified elsewhere. The scope covers diverse auxiliary activities such as veterinary practices, advertising agencies, market research firms, and specialized design studios, measuring how salaried staff hours are adjusted in response to changing corporate marketing budgets. This broad professional grouping differs from legal or IT sectors by encompassing miscellaneous technical services, meaning short-time trends reflect diverse commercial demand patterns. Independent graphic designers and freelance consultants operating without corporate payrolls are excluded.
Because this category aggregates disparate technical activities, quarterly figures can exhibit high volatility driven by sector-specific advertising campaigns or design project milestones. Early estimates are routinely updated as constituent firms finalize accounting data and reconcile wage subsidies. Analysts should utilize year-on-year comparisons to smooth out disparate seasonal behaviors across the various technical fields contained within the group. Direct benchmarking against homogenous sectors like manufacturing or telecommunications should be avoided due to the mixed composition of these miscellaneous professional activities.
Frequently asked questions
- What types of businesses are included in this miscellaneous professional category?
- Advertising agencies, market research firms, veterinary clinics, and specialized design studios are among the diverse activities grouped here.
- Are freelance graphic designers counted in these figures?
- No, only salaried personnel within registered corporate structures of these technical services are included.
- Why is year-on-year analysis recommended for this mixed category?
- Aggregating dissimilar technical services creates varied seasonal patterns, making annual comparisons much more stable than sequential quarterly changes.