A-Infos (en) France, OCL CA #360 - L'Eco 360 News Briefs (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Home delivery workers: a form of slavery ---- A large interdisciplinary 
study was conducted in Bordeaux and Paris. These workers are on the job 
for more than 63 hours a week, six to seven days a week, for an income 
well below the poverty line. In the food delivery sector, the operation 
of digital platforms relies on algorithms for matching restaurants, 
customers, and delivery drivers, as well as pricing and disconnection 
mechanisms, allowing them to manage a vast workforce that is legally 
independent. As for the delivery drivers, their self-employed status 
places them outside the regulatory framework for occupational health and 
safety applicable to employees. Their situation resembles a return to 
piecework.

Delivery drivers are almost exclusively men (98.9%), immigrants (97.8%), 
and relatively young, with a median age of 30. Their educational levels, 
however, vary considerably. Most arrived in France recently (median 
since 2020) and are primarily from West Africa, South Asia, and North 
Africa. Nearly two-thirds are undocumented. The majority do not have 
their own housing. Almost half of delivery drivers in Paris and more 
than half in Bordeaux (36.7%) report having gone at least one full day 
without food due to lack of money in the past twelve months. 
Three-quarters of delivery drivers work for someone else, a proportion 
reaching 81% in Paris.

Delivery drivers earn an average of EUR1,480 gross per month, or EUR880 
net after deducting all business-related expenses (including equipment 
and fuel costs, insurance, taxes, and, for three-quarters of them, the 
cost of renting their delivery account, which averages EUR528 per month 
and alone absorbs more than a third of their gross income). The average 
gross hourly rate is EUR5.83, well below the minimum wage (EUR11.88 at 
the time of the survey). This overall picture paints a portrait of a 
"working poor" population, forced into extremely intense work to earn a 
net income that remains far below the poverty line (set at EUR1,288 net 
per month for a single person).

Algorithmic management has an extremely negative impact on workers' 
health. It subjects them to constant pressure. Incessant notifications, 
automated ratings based primarily on customer feedback (which fail to 
consider real-world conditions), and the fear of account deactivation 
create a state of hypervigilance. For example, delivery drivers cannot 
verify the packaging of goods placed in a bag sealed by the restaurant. 
This bag could leak during transport, causing customer dissatisfaction. 
Furthermore, drivers lack clear information on how customer ratings and 
comments after each delivery will influence potential penalties. The 
inability to predict earnings or these penalties generates persistent 
feelings of powerlessness and economic insecurity. To maximize their 
earnings, drivers choose to reduce their breaks or increase their work 
pace, hoping for better ratings. More than a quarter of delivery drivers 
in Île-de-France have been involved in a road accident.

The increasing use of AI in management poses the same type of risk to 
all workers. The constant pressure to perform, without the possibility 
of disconnecting, creates a climate of perpetual anxiety and exposes 
them to chronic stress. Automated decisions (task allocation, 
performance reviews) reduce their room for maneuver and lead to a loss 
of autonomy. The use of artificial intelligence also facilitates the 
fragmentation of contracts (micro-tasks, hybrid statuses), limiting 
access to social protections and leading to precarious employment. 
Finally, the lack of human interaction and work collectives exacerbates 
loneliness and feelings of insecurity, resulting in isolation and a 
dehumanization of the workplace. While platform workers are currently 
the most affected by this situation, these practices could soon spread 
to many sectors and types of employment.

Sources : - Marwân-al-Qays Bousmah, Annabel Desgrées du Lou), Anne 
Gosselin, Flore Gubert, Kevin Poperl, "Platform delivery workers: an 
unprecedented investigation lifts the veil on their extreme precarity", 
The Conversation , April 1, 2026 - Dina Attia, Thomas Bayeux, "Home 
delivery workers: how 'algorithmic management' degrades workers' 
health", The Conversation , April 1, 2026.

For more information: "Health and living and working conditions of 
delivery drivers for digital platforms in France: report of the 
SANTE-COURSE survey", available free online

A snapshot of the job market in 2025
The employment rate, the percentage of people with even very part-time 
or very short-term jobs, increased very slightly, by 0.3 percentage 
points. The youth employment rate stabilized, while the older worker 
rate increased. There is now only a 5-point gap between the male and 
female employment rates (30 in 1975). For the third consecutive year, 
the cumulative share of fixed-term contracts (temporary contracts, 
temporary work) in total employment declined. It now stands at 9.4%. By 
2025, teleworking will affect 19.7% of employees, almost one in five, an 
increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to 2024. The share of people 
in part-time employment increased again, by 0.2 percentage points over 
the year (17.7% in 2025). Underemployment remained virtually stable at 
4.4%. Underemployment refers to people who work part-time when they 
would like to work more hours. The ILO unemployment rate is projected to 
increase by 0.3 percentage points in 2025, reaching an average of 7.7%. 
The ILO unemployment rate is calculated by considering individuals who 
are not working (less than one hour per week) and who are actively 
seeking employment (having taken at least one job search within the past 
month).

This figure is therefore independent of the situation with regard to 
Pôle Emploi (the French public employment service). The "halo" of 
unemployment is 4.5%. These are people who do not meet the criteria to 
be considered unemployed, but who are nevertheless looking for work. The 
upward trend in the average skill level of jobs continues. In 2025, 
managers represent 23.8% of employed individuals. Since 2019, the share 
of managers in employment has exceeded that of manual workers, which is 
decreasing again in 2025 (-0.4 points, to 17.5%). Women continue to hold 
less skilled jobs than men (even though, it should be noted, they are 
now more highly educated).

Source : INSEE, "Unemployment is rising again, the activity rate is at 
its highest in 50 years", INSEE Première No. 2096, March 2026

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