France: gross minimum hourly wage 2005-2024
Minimum wage is increasing
For years now, wages in France have been increasing progressively. In 2013 the gross minimum wage per month in France was of 1,430.22 euros, compared to 1,589.47 euros in 2021. Thus, the average annual wage in France rose since the beginning of the 2000’s despite the 2008 financial crisis. However, in a survey from 2019, most of the responding French stated that they were not really satisfied with their current salary.
The issue of purchasing power
In recent years purchasing power has become one of most worrying issues of households in France. In 2022, a large part of the French perceived their purchasing power as decreasing, while four years before it had become one of the main the causes of the Yellow Vests protests in the country. Studies have shown that the purchasing power in the country reached its lowest level between 2010 and 2014. Household expenditure doubled since 1990, while 52.4 percent of French middle-income households stated having difficulties to make ends meet in 2017.