Employees’ days follow a general rhythm, although this can vary from one country to another. In the case of France in particular, starting from the year 1950, there has been a change in the annual working time. This change is marked by collective reductions in working hours and the arrival of part-time work. We explore the issue in the following lines!
What are the standard working hours in France?
Currently, the legal working time is 35 hours per week. In this sense, when an employee works more than this duration, it can be considered as overtime. The latter will thus be subject to additional financial compensation when performed beyond the legal duration. The compensation is set taking into account the salary with a 25% increase.
Furthermore, regarding standard working hours, it is clear that in France, employees work from Monday to Friday according to a time slot from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. In this sense, weekends are generally free, which makes an average of 38 hours of work per week. We can then see that standard hours go beyond the legal duration, but this is explained by the possibility of benefiting from a reduction in working time.
How many hours per day do French workers work?
With working hours regulated by the Labor Code, a full-time job should follow the following provisions:
- 35 hours of work per week
- 151.67 hours of work per month
- 1607 hours of work per year
These figures may however vary according to the company’s collective agreements. Nevertheless, French workers generally work 7 hours per day.
What are the laws on overtime in France?
Each hour worked beyond the legal weekly duration is considered as overtime. As we indicated earlier, an overtime hour entitles to compensation in the field of public order.
These are generally related to specific requests from the employer. They also occur in the context of certain employee tasks.
Moreover, overtime is governed by the Court of Cassation. Furthermore, the calculation of overtime pay follows a defined regulation. Thus, the first eight overtime hours (36th hour to 43rd hour of work), working hours will have a 25% salary increase. Beyond the 43rd hour of work, the rate will be increased by 50%.
If you notice practices that go against the law, do not hesitate to alert the labor inspectorate.
What is the maximum number of working hours per week in France?
Although the legal working time is set at 35 hours per week, it must be noted that this base can be exceeded in certain situations. However, according to the labor code, there are limits not to be exceeded. In this sense, the maximum number of working hours in France must not exceed the following values:
- 10 hours of work for a day.
- 48 hours of work for one week
Furthermore, it is important to recall that certain provisions also make exceptions to the rule of working hours. For example, young people under 18 years old cannot exceed 8 hours of work per day and 35 hours of work per week. That said, they may request to work 5 additional hours during the week, but this requires the approval of the labor inspector.
Besides this first exception, it should also be noted that there are sectors of activity subject to a special regime. This is the case, for example, for companies working in agriculture or those in the transport sector. Given the tasks assigned to employees, working hours are exceptional.
How are working hours calculated in France?
To calculate working hours in France, the monthly base calculation is used. This takes into account the legal working time for a full-time employee, which is 35 hours. Starting from a monthly calculation, the days will be distributed evenly to ensure salary stability.
Thus, to calculate the hours worked, the following formula will be used: [(35h x 52 weeks) / 12 months]. The result obtained will then be 151.67 hours.
Moreover, for more accuracy in the calculation, it is also advised to refer to the employment contract and consider the following points:
- Training hours
- Duration of medical visits
- Leave (RTT, paid leave, maternity leave, exceptional leave, and paternity leave).
As a reminder, break times are not included in the calculations, as they are not considered working hours.
What is the minimum wage in France for full-time workers?
In the face of current inflation, the minimum wage in France (SMIC) has undergone changes since the beginning of 2023. In this regard, since January 1st, there has been a fourth increase of the SMIC since 2022. Thus, the SMIC now has a gross hourly rate of 11.27 euros.
In other words, this corresponds to a gross monthly salary of 1709.28 euros. This salary takes into account the legal working time of 35 hours per week.
How are part-time workers paid in France?
Part-time workers benefit from the same remuneration system as full-time workers in France. Thus, the criteria considered are based on the employee’s qualifications, seniority, and the position sought.
Of course, a part-time worker will have a lower salary because the calculation will be based on the working time. In this sense, for an employee working 70% of the time, the salary calculation will be based on 24 hours and 30 minutes of work, not 35 hours.
In France, the law requires each worker not to exceed 10 hours of work per day. That said, it can sometimes happen that the company needs to increase working hours depending on the situation.
In this latter case, the maximum working time can reach 12 hours per day. However, this schedule change must be justified by a clear reason.
As in many countries around the world, French workers can also benefit from paid vacation days. To calculate vacation days, the number of months worked during the year must be taken into account.
In general, the worker obtains two and a half paid vacation days every month. In short, and according to labor law, in France, paid vacation amounts to five weeks per year.
Mandatory breaks can vary from one company to another. Indeed, break times are closely linked to the actual working time. For example, if the employee has a working time of more than 6 hours, they may benefit from a 20-minute consecutive break.
