There are many reasons why a company may want to hire employees in France. As well as having a labor pool of highly-skilled workers, it has the second largest GDP in the EU and is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. However, there are many challenges to hiring in France, including the complicated legal requirements.

To avoid needing to set up your own legal entity in France and navigate the complexities of French labor law alone, one solution is to use a portage salarial international.

How Does Portage Salarial International Work?

Portage salarial is a specific French employment arrangement for eligible autonomous professionals. The professional negotiates the assignment and rate with a client, while a portage company employs the professional and administers payroll and social contributions. International assignments also require checks of the rules that apply in the country where the work takes place.

Portage salarial and Employer of Record are not interchangeable terms. EOR describes an employment service; in France, the underlying legal arrangement and its eligibility conditions must be established before hiring. RemotePeople offers EOR services, while this guide explains the portage salarial model.

A portage company handles employment administration, but the client and professional still have responsibilities under the applicable arrangement. See the French government’s portage salarial guidance for the conditions and duties of each party.

What Is Portage Salarial International For?

A portage salarial international is useful if you want to hire someone based in France without requiring the worker to relocate. You may also want to avoid the hassle of acquiring a work visa for an employee, the worker may want to remain in France, or you may need the employee to stay in the country for business reasons.

Alternatively, it may be more cost effective to keep the employee in France, such as if it is possible for the worker to carry out the work remotely.

Hire Internationally with an Employer of Record

RemotePeople’s Employer of Record service helps businesses hire and manage employees across more than 150 countries. The service offered here is EOR, distinct from the portage salarial model explained in this guide.

Global EOR Flex pricing starts at $199 USD per employee per month. The final fee depends on the country and requirements; salaries and statutory employer contributions are separate. Request a tailored proposal.

Get Your Customized Proposal

Consultant Expatrié vs Consultant Détaché

Workers hired by a portage company receive the status of either a consultant détaché or a consultant expatrié, depending on where they are based.

As a consultant détaché, workers receive benefits under French social security. To qualify, they must carry out their work either in a European Union member country or in a nation outside the EU that has a bilateral agreement with France. They are allowed to maintain their status of consultant détaché for an unlimited time.

Workers who carry out work in other countries receive a consultant expatrié status. Although they won’t be covered by French social security, they’ll receive benefits from the country where they are based. However, they may be able to apply to retain social security while they are abroad if they meet certain conditions. In this case, social benefits are valid for a period of 36 months per assignment (renewal is possible only once).

What to Know About Hiring in France

If you choose to hire employees directly, you’ll need to ensure you adhere French labor law. Some key aspects include:

Code du Travail

The French Labor Code is called Code du Travail. It provides a framework for relationships between employers and workers.

Types of Contracts

Employers have the choice of two types of contracts: contrat à durée indéterminée (CDI) is open ended and contrat à durée déterminée (CDD) has a fixed end date.

Minimum Wage

The statutory minimum wage is called salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance. Since November 1, 2024, it has been €11.88 per hour.

Working Hours

The standard working week is 35 hours, after which employees are entitled to overtime. For the first eight hours, they receive a 25% pay increase. For any subsequent hours, they receive a 50% pay increase.

Alternatively, an employer may provide compensatory time off for overtime, called repos compensateur. In either case, employees may work up to 48 hours a week but not more than an average of 44 hours over a 12-week period.

Employees in France receive 2.5 working days of leave a month. In addition, they are entitled to a daily subsistence allowance through their insurance plans when on sick leave. Lastly, parental leave is available to workers who have enrolled in social security at least 10 months before childbirth and have worked at least 150 hours in the 90 days before the start of their leave.

Mothers receive six weeks before birth and 10 weeks after, fathers receive four days immediately after birth and 21 days within the following six months, and adopting parents receive 10 weeks for one child or 22 weeks for more than one child.

Social Security Contributions

Employers and workers need to make various types of social security contributions.

Terminations

To terminate a CDI contract, employers need a valid reason. Severance depends on whether the worker has been at the company more or less than 10 years.

Collective Bargaining

It is common for employees to use collective bargaining, especially through trade unions. For instance, collective bargaining agreements may set a cap on overtime hours per year that is different than the typical 220 hours.

The Advantages of Portage Salarial International

A portage salarial international is a convenient solution for both employers and the workers they want to hire.

No Need for a Legal Entity

The biggest advantage for employers is there is no need to set up a legal entity in France. This is a time-consuming process that may only be worthwhile if you intend to hire a large team of workers.

In contrast, using a portage company makes financial sense for any number of workers (even a single employee) and the hiring process is almost immediate.

Adhere to Regulations

Since the portage company is the employer, you don’t have to worry about understanding regulations and ensuring you adhere to French law. Instead, you’ll be able to focus on your core work and growing your business.

Employee Benefits

Workers in France often prefer to be employees due the job security and other benefits this brings. For example, a CDI results in steady income (which may not be the case for contractors), workers receive a pay slip that gives them proof of earnings (which is useful for things like applying for a mortgage), and employees receive unemployment benefits, a pension, and health insurance.

Hiring in France and Beyond

Portage salarial can support eligible consulting assignments connected with France. For cross-border work, check the assignment, employment structure, social security coverage and any immigration requirements for the countries involved.

RemotePeople provides Employer of Record services across more than 150 countries. For hiring in France or another market, request a proposal that identifies the local employment arrangement, onboarding requirements and total employment costs.