Wages in France continue to rise. This Thursday, Dares, the statistics department of the Ministry of Labor, communicated new evolution figures. In one year, the basic monthly salary (excluding bonuses and overtime) increased by 3.7% in France.
Three months ago, during the previous count, the increase in a year was only 3.1%. Therefore, there is an acceleration in the increase of wages in this period of inflation. Especially in favor of the lowest incomes, which are the ones that have logically increased the most, thanks above all to the successive increases in the Smic during the last year. Here it is in detail:
- Employees +4.5%
- Workers +4.4%
- Intermediate professions +2.8%
- Executives +2.7%
Raises that stay below inflation
Increases that French employees have not known for decades… but which, however, remain below inflation. We can see it in this graph from Dares, the evolution curve of prices (in turquoise) remains well above the basic monthly wages (in pink) and the basic hourly wages of workers and employees (in blue) .
In the third quarter, the difference is two points, which causes a significant loss of purchasing power. However, the government is more optimistic and expects a much more moderate fall. Because these salary developments do not take into account the bonuses paid or the overtime hours worked by the employees.
710 euros of average premium
As for bonuses, the government hopes that by the end of the year their granting will be accelerated. Since the tax exemption ceiling of the “Macron” bonus (now called “value sharing bonus”) was tripled this summer, 730,000 employees have benefited from it for an average amount of 710 euros affected. We are very far from the tax exemption ceiling, which is 6,000 euros.
However, the average amount has increased, since it was only 550 euros during the first 6 months of the year. Thus, for the entire 2022, 2.5 million employees received a “Macron” bonus in an average amount of 560 euros. As a reminder, in 2021 almost 4 million employees had been paid (572 euros on average).
To maintain their earning power, employees may also have to rely on overtime. Here too, the maximum tax exemption limit on overtime has been increased in the summer purchasing power law. From 5,000 euros a year it is now 7,500 euros. What encourages employers to offer more to their employees.
After “work harder to win”, will 2022 be the year of “work harder to lose less”?
Source: BFM TV
