Working Days – France
France has 11 national public holidays, as defined by the Labour Code, which apply to all employers in both the private and public sectors. These days are non-working and paid for the vast majority of employees, subject to applicable collective agreement provisions. HR and payroll professionals must also master the distinction between working days and worked days, two concepts with very different implications under employment law.
Annual summary
| Other year | Working days | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 251 | |
| 2026 | 252 | |
| 2027 | 254 | |
| 2028 | 251 |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 'jour ouvrable' and 'jour ouvré' in French payroll?
Jour ouvrable refers to any day of the week except Sunday and public holidays, potentially six days per week (Monday to Saturday). Jour ouvré, by contrast, corresponds to days actually worked in the company, typically Monday to Friday. This distinction is fundamental, particularly for calculating paid leave, as the Labour Code uses working days as the legal reference unit.
What happens when a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday?
In France, there is no legal carryover mechanism: if a public holiday coincides with a Saturday or Sunday, it is lost and no compensatory day is automatically granted to the employee. However, some collective agreements do provide more favorable provisions, such as granting an additional day of rest, which should be verified on a case-by-case basis.
Is the 'pont' (bridge day) a legal right for employees in France?
No, the pont—taking a non-working Friday or Monday between a public holiday and a weekend—is a very common cultural practice but does not constitute a legal right enforceable against the employer. It is the employer who has sole discretion to grant or refuse a pont, sometimes in recovery of hours not worked. The terms may also be defined by company agreement or collective agreement.
Do employees in Alsace-Moselle benefit from additional public holidays?
Yes, the local Alsace-Moselle regime, still in force in the departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle, provides two additional public holidays: Good Friday and December 26 (Saint Stephen's Day). These days are added to the 11 national public holidays and are mandatory non-working days for employees subject to this local law, which employers in these territories must necessarily incorporate into their payroll management.
How does the statutory working time of 35 hours impact the calculation of worked days in France?
The 2000 Aubry Law sets the statutory working time at 35 hours per week, which is lower than the 40-hour standard practiced in many other countries. In practice, this reduction in working time often results in the allocation of additional days off called RTT days (jours de réduction du temps de travail), with the annual number varying depending on the working time organization chosen by the company. Payroll professionals must therefore account for these RTT days in addition to public holidays when determining the actual number of available worked days.