Fixed-term contracts (CDD) in France are now the norm in the labour market, with 7 out of 10 workers recruited under such contracts last year, Boursier writes. This is according to official statistics commissioned by the Ministry of Labour which also showed that smaller firms take less advantage of such employment contracts, something which stands in stark contrast to larger firms.

The newspaper reports that in certain sectors CDD contracts are particularly common, including arts, entertainment and leisure. Here, more than nine out of ten are employed on a fixed-term basis.

Particularly young people were affected by this trend. Around a quarter of those aged under 30 had signed a CDD contract in 2011, compared to 10% of those aged 39 to 49, and only 6% of those aged 50 or more.

The whole article, in French, can be accessed here.