In total, 360,500 salaried jobs were destroyed in the private sector in 2020, a decline of 1.8%, according to INSEE.
In detail, the year has evolved up and down, according to confinements, deconfinements and multiplication of health restrictions.
In the last quarter of the year, employment fell back moderately (-0.2%, or 39,600 net destruction) under the effect of the health crisis and the second confinement, after a sharp rebound in the summer ( + 1.6%, or 312,400 net creations in the 3rd quarter), insufficient to offset the sharp drop in the previous quarters.
In its economic report from mid-December, INSEE said it expected the elimination of 301,000 jobs in the fourth quarter, "
under the effect of the worsening health situation and the strengthening of restrictive measures, in particular the second confinement came into effect on October 30
”.
In total, in 2020, the institution was counting on the elimination of "
597,000 salaried jobs [...], or 2.3% of the pre-crisis level
" and on 691,000 destruction of salaried and non-salaried jobs.
A year 2021 still very uncertain
The authorities remain cautious about the future.
If he has repeatedly praised the “
solid
”
fundamentals
of the French economy and recalled that this crisis differed from previous ones, the boss of Bercy, Bruno Le Maire, also considered that “
the most difficult is ahead of us
”.
"
I do not share the analysis of those who think that after a catastrophic year 2020, 2021 will be fantastic
", commented the Minister, in our columns, in January.
The various projections of the institutions are also mixed.
The Banque de France expects the rebound in employment in the third quarter of 2020 "to
be only temporary in the more difficult context of the end of the year
": the tightened restrictions, which weigh on certain sectors in particular, "
Will a priori cause a significant impact on employment in the fourth quarter and the first quarter of 2021
", wrote the experts in their December projections.
A “
low point
” is expected to be reached in the first six months of the year, after which a “
net turnaround
” is expected to kick in.