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The numbers have exploded since the pandemic.
The numbers have exploded since the pandemic.
What is happening?
French employees have come under fire amid concerns that high absenteeism is damaging the nation’s economy.
Prime Minister François Bayrou is leading a government push to rein in sick leave, accusing workers of not putting in enough hours.
A National Push to Reconnect Citizens with Work
Bayrou says his goal is to “reconcile the French with work,” as public dissatisfaction with state services grows.
Despite generous welfare spending, frustration is mounting, and the government believes restoring work ethic is key to fixing the imbalance.
Controversial Measures on the Table
To cut France’s growing deficit, Bayrou has proposed scrapping two public holidays, limiting sick days, pressuring doctors to issue fewer sick notes, and requiring employees to disclose specific reasons for their absence.
The reforms are part of his 2026 budget.
Absenteeism Rates Among the Highest in Europe
At any moment, nearly 6% of private-sector workers in France are on sick leave.
That figure has surged by 40% in five years, leaving France with one of the highest absenteeism rates in Europe—double that of the UK.
Public Sector Sick Leave Nearly Doubled in Eight Years
Between 2014 and 2022, sick leave among public servants jumped by a staggering 79%.
The financial toll is heavy, with absenteeism now costing the French economy an estimated £69 billion annually.
Looming bankruptcy
France’s financial debt is now at an unfathomable €3.346 trillion, and even thogh the risk is not imminent, experts and analysts warns that the risk of a National bankruptcy is drawing dangerously close.
In 2024, France recorded af Government Debt of 113 percent of the country’s GDP. That’s close to the all-time high for the nation, which was 114.90 percent in 2020.
Mental Health Claims on the Rise
France has seen a significant uptick in workers citing “psychosocial” conditions, such as “le burn-out” and its new counterpart “le bore-out”—a term describing the exhaustion caused by boredom at work.
These conditions have spiked since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opposition Slams Government’s Health Crackdown
Bayrou’s announcement during his budget speech last week triggered fierce backlash.
Unions accuse the government of undermining workers’ wellbeing, warning that the proposed changes will “destroy the health of the French.”
A Deep Disconnect Between Workers and Their Jobs
Only 7% of French employees report feeling engaged in their jobs, compared to 33% in the U.S., according to a 2023 Gallup survey.
Calls to Overhaul France’s Management Culture
Experts suggest real change may require dismantling France’s rigid corporate culture.
The current model is decribed as “hyper-present and controlling”, and that it needs to shift toward one where workers feel genuinely valued.
Budget Showdown Looms in Parliament
The fate of Bayrou’s 2026 budget—and his absenteeism reforms—will be decided this autumn.
With President Macron’s centrist alliance lacking a parliamentary majority, the government must now rally support to push the bill through.
