The Tightening of Employment Conditions and Access to Jobs in Artistic Occupations in France – The case of Dance and Circus Arts (2006-2016)

[eng] The aim of this article is to analyse the degree of segmentation and restriction within the French artistic jobs system by studying the example of dance and circus arts. On the basis of the distribution of job structure and volume of work, it investigates the conditions of inclusion within a “professional core”, including the associated effects on continued activity. We use data from Pôle Emploi relating to monthly employer statements (AEM) and single simplified declarations (DUS). These data allow us to exhaustively process the 8.5 million employment contracts for the 100,000 individuals who worked in one of the two selected artistic fields during the 2006-2016 period. In both fields, albeit in varying proportions and at varying rates, we see more restrictive conditions of employment and access to the segment of artists likely to benefit from the “intermittent” status, an unemployment benefit system specific to artistic workers due to the irregular nature of their work. And yet, trends show that potential workers are being increasingly excluded from these two labour markets.