France underemployment rate: full-time or part-time workers
France underemployment rate: full-time or part-time workers stood at 0.1% 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 | |||||||||||
| Underemployment rate - Full-time or part-time workers, who involuntarily worked less than usual - SA data | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| ILO core employment rate - Men aged 55 to 64 years - SA data | 63.4 | 63.2 | 62.8 | 63.4 | 63.2 | 62.9 | 62.4 | 62 | 61.1 | 60.4 |
Understanding france underemployment rate: full-time or part-time workers
This indicator measures the proportion of workers, regardless of whether their usual schedule is full-time or part-time, who involuntarily worked fewer hours than usual during the survey reference week for economic or technical reasons, divided by total employment. It captures hours shortfalls driven by slack work, business downturns, or supply disruptions, while excluding voluntary reductions such as personal leave or statutory holidays. The metric applies universally across all employment arrangements rather than isolating part-time personnel. It differs from standard unemployment because affected individuals maintain their employment contract.
Seasonality plays a major role as industrial shutdowns and holiday schedules alter standard working hours across industries. Revisions to early figures occur when delayed establishment and household responses are processed. Sequential quarterly movements offer the clearest signal of sudden economic contractions affecting operating hours before formal layoffs occur. Analysts should not confuse this measure with the unemployment rate, as these individuals retain their jobs despite working reduced hours.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series include workers on strike during the reference week?
- Absences due to labor disputes are categorized separately from economic underemployment caused by slack business demand.
- How does this differ from the part-time underemployment indicator?
- This measure includes both full-time and part-time workers experiencing temporary hour reductions, whereas the sibling series focuses solely on part-time staff wanting permanent extra hours.
- Are weather-related production halts counted in this rate?
- Involuntary reductions caused by adverse weather halting operations are captured when they result in fewer hours worked than usual.