Minimum wage in France

Figures produced by DARES, the research arm of the French ministry of employment, show that one in eight private sector employees (12.3%) benefited from the increase in the French minimum wage, (SMIC), in January 2013.

That increase took the SMIC to €9.43 an hour (higher than the €8.50 planned for Germany — see above). Although the new rate was only 0.3% higher than the previous rate of €9.40, set in July 2012, some 1.9 million employees were on the minimum wage and so saw their pay increase.

Fast food restaurants employed the largest proportion of SMIC recipients, with 61% of the 146,000 working in the sector employed on the minimum wage.

The increase also had a much greater affect among those working part time, 28.6% of whom benefitted, than among those working full time, with only 8.5% gaining, reflecting part-timers’ lower hourly rates.

€1 was worth 84p on 12 December.