France underemployed persons: part-time workers wishing more
France underemployed persons: part-time workers wishing more stood at 312 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 Unemployment and employment (labour force survey) table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 2003 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Unemployment and employment (labour force survey) table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rate | |||||||||||
| Underemployed persons - Part-time workers, wishing to work more hours, available to do so and looking for another job (in thousands) - SA data | 312 | 344 | 335 | 332 | 362 | 321 | 307 | 297 | 291 | 269 | |
| ILO full-time employment rate - Persons aged 25 to 49 years - SA data | 70 | 70.2 | 70.4 | 70.1 | 70.5 | 70.6 | 70.6 | 70.7 | 70.6 | 70.8 |
Understanding france underemployed persons: part-time workers wishing more
Counting the absolute volume of individuals who work part-time hours but actively seek and are available for additional work, this series provides a head count rather than a ratio. It targets workers who experience reduced hours involuntarily and take active steps to find supplementary or alternative employment to increase their earnings. By expressing the measure in thousands of persons, it translates abstract percentages into concrete workforce magnitudes.
Because absolute headcounts naturally vary with population growth and survey sample expansions, analysts should examine relative changes rather than fixed levels across distant periods. Seasonal hiring spikes in retail and hospitality can introduce volatility, necessitating reliance on smoothed series. A frequent misinterpretation involves treating this headcount as equivalent to total registered jobseekers, whereas these individuals retain existing part-time employment.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this series seasonally adjusted?
- Yes, smoothing is applied to remove predictable calendar and weather-related hiring fluctuations.
- What distinguishes these individuals from general part-time workers?
- They specifically desire more hours, are available to work them, and actively search for additional employment.
- Why is this reported in thousands rather than as a percentage?
- Volume measures provide direct insight into the scale of labour slack and resource underutilisation in headcount terms.