France Raises Minimum Wage to €1,502 Net From December 1

Overview

• The government announced the 1.6% Smic increase at a Matignon social conference on Monday, Nov. 9, fixing the minimum wage at about €1,502 net from December 1.
• The rise combines an automatic inflation adjustment of roughly 1% with a 0.6% discretionary 'coup de pouce', which adds about €24 net per month to the pay of minimum‑wage workers.
• Unions judged the move insufficient and called further action, with an intersyndicale planning a public‑sector strike and wider mobilisation for November 17.
• Official estimates put the measure’s direct effect at about 2.5 million workers and roughly €2.5 billion in extra annual wage costs for companies, a burden employers warn will fall hardest on very small firms.
• The government also announced measures such as a higher fuel‑premium ceiling, broader CSG relief on profit‑sharing and a raised overtime tax‑exemption cap, and it said it will monitor branch negotiations and reform employer contribution relief; this is the first government 'coup de pouce' to the Smic since 2012 and brings the annual 2026 rise to about 5.3%.