Politics · France · 12 hrs ago
One in three French workers misunderstands how their work time is counted
One in three French workers did not know how their working time was counted, according to a study of employee responses and employer records.
The researchers compared answers from 21,000 workers in a 2017 French labour survey with the work-time arrangements employers reported to the government.
Under the forfait jours system, working time is counted in days rather than hours.
The study found that 18% wrongly said they were on this system, while another 15% said they did not know; only about one in ten workers was actually on it.
Workers who mistakenly believed they were on the system worked nearly an extra hour each week, with no officially paid overtime in return.
In 2024, 2.4 million private-sector full-time workers were on the system, which has grown more common and can make excessive working hours harder to track.
A study of 21,000 French workers found that one in three did not know how their working time was counted.
The study found that 18% believed they were on a days-based working-time arrangement even though their employers paid them by the hour, while 15% said they did not know their arrangement.
Only about one in ten workers was actually on the days-based arrangement, known as forfait jours.
Workers who mistakenly believed they were on forfait jours reported working nearly an hour more per week than well-informed colleagues, without officially paid overtime in return.
In 2024, 2.4 million private-sector employees working full time had their working time counted in days rather than hours.
- Who
- French workers surveyed in the study.
- What
- One in three did not know how their working time was counted or mistakenly believed they were on a days-based arrangement.
- When
- The study used 2017 survey data; the article was published on November 9, 2026.
- Where
- France.
- Why
- The study examined whether workers knew which working-time arrangement applied to them and what this lack of knowledge could cost them.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The share of private-sector full-time employees whose working time was counted in days rather than hours was less than a third of its 2024 level.
Researchers matched responses from 21,000 workers in the Labour Ministry’s REPONSE survey with employers’ declared working-time arrangements.
2.4 million private-sector full-time employees had their working time counted in days rather than hours.
Le Monde published the article reporting the study’s findings.
- Survey sample
- 21,000 workers
- Mistakenly believed they were on forfait jours
- 18%
- Did not know their arrangement
- 15%
- Actually on forfait jours
- About one in ten workers
- Forfait jours in 2024
- 2.4 million private-sector full-time employees; 15%
- Reported extra work by mistaken workers
- Nearly one hour per week, without officially paid overtime in return