Lecornu lifts French minimum wage by 1.6% from Dec. 1

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Nov. 9 France’s minimum wage would rise 1.6% from Dec. 1, reaching about €1,502 net a month, in a Euronews article published Monday.

The early increase gives minimum-wage workers €24 more net a month, one month before the previously planned Jan. 1, 2027 change, while unions had sought increases of €100 to €150.

Lecornu announced the measures after a Monday morning meeting at Matignon with employee and employer representatives. A decree is due to be published shortly. “This is the second largest increase of the past twenty years,” he said.

The prime minister cast the wage-floor increase as an opening step in broader pay discussions, not a complete response to pressure over purchasing power. “Raising the minimum wage is not enough, but it has a major benefit: it kicks off a cycle of discussions on pay rises,” Lecornu said.

The government also plans a review of “general reductions” in social-security contributions, payroll levies linked to France’s welfare system, with the stated aim of increasing take-home pay. Lecornu said the state should act as guarantor of mutual commitments between employees and employers.

For companies, the package includes planned tax measures intended to soften the cost of higher labour bills. They include an income-tax exemption for overtime up to €10,000, an exemption for employer contributions to public transport costs, and tax-free treatment for “value-sharing bonuses.”

The value-sharing bonus, also known as the “Macron bonus,” is a one-off company payment to employees that can redistribute part of the value created by a business, with favourable tax and social-security treatment under certain conditions.

Lecornu defended the timing of the package after questions about whether the government had waited too long before responding. “I no longer believe in headline-grabbing announcements... I even think they are killing us,” he said.

“When we come before the French people, I want to announce things that work. The government is doing everything it can,” Lecornu said.

Unions were not satisfied by the scale of the rise. The CFDT had called for an extra €100 net a month, while the CGT wanted about €150, both far above the €24 monthly increase announced by the government.

CFTC President Cyril Chabanier had said before Lecornu’s announcement that the measures under consideration were “not commensurate with the level of social anger.” The CGT, led by General Secretary Sophie Binet, is calling for another major day of strikes and demonstrations.

Wage timetable

The CGT’s next major day of strikes and demonstrations is set for Nov. 17. The scale of participation will indicate how far Lecornu’s package has eased union pressure, though the wage rise itself will not yet have taken effect.

The minimum-wage increase is scheduled for Dec. 1. At that point, the wage floor is due to rise by 1.6% to about €1,502 net a month, adding €24 net a month for workers paid at the minimum level.

The government also wants renewed wage discussions across about 100 professional sectors, with each sector expected to discuss its own arrangements for lifting pay.