French social media users have been responding to recent statements made on live television by economist Jean-Claude Delgènes, who claimed that France has “fallen significantly behind in terms of work conditions.”
“A study conducted at the end of 2021 and released in 2022 (…) France ranks 36th, just above Albania, when it comes to working conditions,” Delgènes said during an interview on Public Sénat, the official television channel of the French Senate.
His comments have led to a surge of responses on online platforms.
It emerges as the topic of unstable work environments gains attention in France.
In the last two and a half months, five young employees and apprentices, aged between 15 and 19, have died in work-related incidents, prompting concerns about the nation’s employment standards.
We examined the data more closely to confirm the assertions made by Delgènes.
France lags behind most European counterparts
The allegations stem from a 2021 report conducted by Eurofound, an organization based in Dublin that focuses on investigating living and working situations across European nations.
The latest study on working conditions in Europe, referred to as EWCS, was conducted in 2021. New data collected in 2024 is anticipated to be released later this year.
The study examines employment conditions across 36 European nations, covering all 27 European Union member states.
It features a “job quality index,” which integrates various data elements related to factors like health, safety, job satisfaction, and others to assess the extent to which employees experience stress in their work environment.
The findings indicate that a greater number of employees in France experience “extremely demanding” or “highly stressful” work environments compared to most other nations.
Only in Serbia, Montenegro, Slovakia, and Poland are more workers experiencing “extremely strained” or “highly strained” working conditions, as the results indicate.
France is not in the 36th position ‘with Albania’
When we also take into account those who described ‘moderately strained’ conditions, France is placed second to last, with only Slovakia having a worse score, and Albania performing slightly better.
The study therefore does not position France “right at the bottom, alongside Albania” regarding working conditions, as Delgènes claims.
Only considering workers who reported “extremely strained” or the worst conditions, France is ranked 30th, placing it higher than other EU countries like Croatia, Cyprus, and the United Kingdom.
Worries regarding health and safety
Nevertheless, the data shows that France lags behind most of its European peers in terms of working conditions.
Information from Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union, verifies the pattern.
As per the most recent data, Malta is the only country that has a higher rate of workplace-related fatal accidents compared to France.
Recent worries have been intensified by the unfortunate deaths of five young employees at their workplace within a span of two and a half months. It is estimated that two individuals lose their lives in work-related incidents in France each day.
The French government is reviewing a suggestion to penalize employers dealing with workplace problems, such as through fines and legal actions, as stated in a document recently reviewed by French media, includingLe Monde.
