The rise in short fixed-term contracts in France since 2000: a sectoral review[La montée des embauches en CDD court en France depuis 2000 : un réexamen sectoriel]

Most explanations of the rise in the number of short fixed-term (SFT) employment contracts put the blame on some specific institutional arrangements such as customary fixed-term contracts or, as part of an unemployment benefit spell, limited employment or rechargeable entitlements arrangements. However, changes in employment and its sectoral reorganisation alone can play a considerable role. This study provides a systematic quantification of this role over 2000- 2019, based on sectoral Acoss-Urssaf statistics. Three periods with distinct economic and regulatory contexts are considered: 2001-2009, 2009-2014 and 2014-2019. For some business sectors, particularly between 2009 and 2014, the analysis reveals a defensive use of SFT contracts associated with falling employment. However, the increase in the use of those contracts is particularly marked in sectors where employment is expanding. Four sectoral trends may be associated with this: the development of activities motivated by an occasional product, which requires flexibility; the response to the challenges of ageing based on low-quality employment, which increases absences from work; the rise in subcontracting, which is accompanied by a rise in job insecurity; the development of the residential sphere, which places particular demands on short-term employment. Compared with these trends fuelling the rise in SFT contracts, the role of contractual employment management strategies adjusting to changing regulatory environments appears limited; this is particularly clear in the case of customary fixed-term contracts and limited employment arrangements. Generally speaking, changes in practices are linked to sectoral circumstances.