But what is the reality of the French 35 hour week?

The French effectively have a longer working week than for example in the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands or Scandinavia. The effective length of the working week in France is 38 hours, which is one hour more than in Great Britain and 2 ½ hours more than in Germany, and is effectively more than the average working week of the 27 European Union member countries.
Moreover, the 35 hour working week does not apply to management staff, who work on a basis of days and not hours.

Is the organization of labor inflexible?

Legislation regarding the 35 hour week has been considerably relaxed since 2003, with the introduction of a quota of 220 additional hours per year, the possibility of working “selected hours” over and above that quota or negotiating yearly packages. The 35 hour week has therefore become a guarantee of flexibility for businesses operating in France: it enables peaks in production or business activity to be easily absorbed by calculating working hours on annual basis. The organization and scheduling of staff working hours are therefore compatible with the needs of the company and adapted to fluctuations in the market.

Are administrative procedures for hiring staff overly complex?

Companies benefit from simplified administrative procedures for hiring staff:

• The single employment declaration (Déclaration Unique d’Embauche - DUE) enables the company to simultaneously complete various administrative formalities for the hiring of staff, including registering a member of staff with the Social Security department, unemployment insurance cover, health cover. The DUE declaration can be completed online.

• The ANPE employment office can help companies to recruit members of staff: information concerning the positions available within the company, candidate profiles, prior selection of candidates, and organization of training prior to hiring by the company. 

Are French workers too expensive? 

Salary costs in France are situated among the lower average rates in European countries. France’s high performance in terms of salary costs is a result of salaries that are lower than the EU average and various social security payment exemption incentives: reductions in social security charges for low and mid-range salaries; specific work contracts for particular sectors of the working population. 

Are French workers lazy?

Increased flexibility, adaptable working hours, qualified and educated manpower: these factors enable France to offer one of the highest productivity rates in the world.: French workers offer exceptional productivity rates, up 20% higher than the European average.

Are French workers often on strike?

This is a misconception that has been generated by excess media attention focused on labor conflicts. In terms of strike days, France ranks about average in Europe. Strikes generally occur in the public sector, the private sector being only marginally affected. The number of strike days in the private sector in France is lower than in the United States, Italy or Spain.