Micro-entrepreneur status grows in France
Number of non-salaried workers has risen by 72%
The rise of Uber has meant a 147% increase in the number of drivers with micro-entrepreneur status
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France now has a record 4.4 million entrepreneurs (self-employed workers), of which four million do not have a back-up salaried job, a report from state statistics agency Insee shows.
The number has been boosted by the micro-entrepreneur status, introduced as auto-entrepreneur in 2009 and then renamed in 2014.
Between 2008 and 2022 the number of non-salaried workers rose by 72% to 3.6 million, not including farmers.
Most of the Insee report is based on 2022 figures, but some parts have been updated to include the first quarter of 2025.
Micro-entrepreneurs represented 25% of non-salaried workers in 2013 and now represent 49%.
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Uber effect
Not all sectors of activity have the same profiles. The VTC (voiture de transport avec chauffeur, or mini-cab drivers) sector has been transformed by ride-hailing platforms such as Uber, leading to a 147% increase in the number of drivers with micro-entrepreneur status.
Services aux entreprises saw a 132% rise, both because more people are prepared to work freelance, and because there has been a cultural shift in many French businesses towards hiring them instead of keeping everything in-house.
Services aux particuliers saw a 104% increase, both from an increase in people using the micro-entrepreneur status to offer everything from handyman to ironing services, and because some home-help agencies have started using freelancers instead of salaried employees.
However, the Insee report also raises serious questions about micro-entrepreneur status, with average declared income just €670 a month, compared to €4,034 for a non-salaried worker with another status, such as an artisan. In addition, a quarter of micro-entrepreneurs are economically dependent on just one client.
Gender disparity is another cause for concern: women represent just 41% of non-farming non-salaried workers and declare 31% less revenue than men in similar sectors.
In salaried work, women in France now make up just over half the workforce, according to Insee.
