Overview
- Lionel Jospin’s death has prompted a fresh look at the 35-hour legal workweek as the defining feature of his economic record.
- INSEE and the Labor Ministry’s statistics office attribute 300,000–400,000 jobs to the reform, well below the million once hoped for.
- The policy was paired with large cuts to employer social contributions, and the Budget Directorate later put the bill at €11–€13 billion a year since 2006.
- Over the past 25 years, company and branch agreements have softened and often sidestepped the rule, giving firms more room to adjust hours.
- Debate over the legacy remains sharp, with employers and the right arguing it hurt competitiveness as France Inter notes managers gained extra days off while many workers saw pay held down.