France has fewer and fewer active workers

8/17/2020, 7:01:13 PM

Essentially male, this professional category has been in decline for nearly forty years.There are no more than 5.3 million, against still nearly 7 million in 1982. According to the latest data published by INSEE, workers weigh less and less among the French in employment. In forty years their share has fallen from 30% of total employment to only 20%, a drop of 10 points. While its volume has fallen, the very structure of blue-collar employment has also changed. “ The least qualified...

There are no more than 5.3 million, against still nearly 7 million in 1982. According to the latest data published by INSEE, workers weigh less and less among the French in employment. In forty years their share has fallen from 30% of total employment to only 20%, a drop of 10 points.

While its volume has fallen, the very structure of blue-collar employment has also changed. “ The least qualified jobs have declined in favor of skilled artisan jobs and drivers, ” notes the statistician. In 2019, contrary to popular belief, only 36% of workers work in industry. They are turn-millers, boilermakers or even production line operators for the most qualified 20%, or conditioners and handlers for the least qualified 16%.

Read also: The difficult resumption of activity for artisans

The most important part of this professional category is today made up of skilled workers of the artisanal type, working little in the factory. One in five workers is like this