“ Across France, 5.2m workers, or 21% of those with jobs, are employed by the public sector. If you count others whose incomes or jobs are not exposed to the economic cycle, 49% of those either in work or retired are only moderately vulnerable to the recession, according to Xerfi, an economics consultancy. Add to that layers of social protection, including unemployment benefits that can reach up to 75% of previous salary, and a raft of direct payments for families, such as €889.72 for newborn babies, and the French are relatively sheltered from market downturns.
