France/ 5.1 General legislation  

5.1.4 Social security frameworks

Civil servants profit from the system for civil servants, other employees benefit from the general social security system and self-employed workers benefit from the pension scheme of their professions.

The question of intermittent employment in the entertainment sector arises regularly. The Minister for Culture presented a device to secure the temporary employed artists and technicians. It is based on collective agreements and a new system of unemployment insurance. It envisages also the installation of a fonds de professionnalisation et de solidarité. From the beginning of 2007, this device guarantees that once a worker in this sector has completed a specified number of hours in any one year (507 hours), then they are entitled to social security benefits. It takes into account with 120 hours per annum: the hours worked, maternity leave, sick leave of more than three months, breaks related to industrial accidents and the hours of formation used by artists and technicians. It guarantees the maintenance of the allowance of return to employment until the retirement age for artists and technicians over 60 years and 6 month. It creates an allowance of end of right financed by the state. The duration of this allowance, which amounts to 30 euro per day, is flexible according to seniority.

Since 1 January 1977, artist / authors benefit from a specific social security scheme which stipulates that, although artist / authors are self-employed, at the end of their second year of activity, they become entitled to social security benefits under the same conditions as salaried employees.

See also comparative information provided in the Compendium "Themes!" section under "Status of Artists".

Your Comments on this Chapter?