Recruitment firms in France have seen deteriorating market conditions this year and new figures now show that temporary employment continued to fall last month as the number of temporary workers was down by -15% year-on-year.

Major sectors were hit by the decline, particularly the industrial and construction sectors. The latest employment barometer by the French association of employment agencies (Prisme) shows that temporary employment in these sectors contracted by -18.2% and -12.6% respectively.

In transport and commerce, temporary employment decreased by -9.8% and -10.6%. In the service sector, this figure dropped by -12.4%.

All job categories suffered from the downward trend. Professionals and managers (cadres et professions intermédiaires) recorded a drop of -12.1%, compared to a -12.6% decline among white collar workers. Blue collar workers were most affected as the number of skilled and unskilled workers in this segment declined by -15.7% and -16.2%.

The eastern region of France noted sharp falls in temporary employment, declining sharply across Franche-Comté (-24.9%), Alsace (-23.3%) and Champagne-Ardenne (-20.9%).