🚨 1.94 million associative employees: the figures that disturb Paid 19% less than in the private sector: the truth about associative employment »
📌 This sheet provides the accurate, up-to-date and verifiable figure to discuss the sector: real salaries, contractual precariousness, feminisation, place of disability. It is the statistical ammunition we lack when we need to argue for a grant application, objectify a salary gap or inform an HR diagnosis. Two pages that replace intuition with sourced data.
📜🔗LINK to the source
1️⃣ ANALYTICAL SUMMARY
A snapshot of the weight and fragility of associative employment
At the end of 2024, 1.94 million people are employed by an association, of which 1.60 million as their main job, representing 7.9% of private sector employees (p.1). The sector remains predominantly health and social: social action without accommodation (30%), medico-social and social accommodation (20%) and health (8%) account for the majority (p.1). Employment growth (+1.2%/year between 2018 and 2024) is slightly lower than that of the private sector (+1.5%), and a provisional estimate even anticipates a decline of 0.7% in 2025, more pronounced in culture (-2.6% for the second year) (p.1).
A specific, feminised and more precarious employment model
The document documents the structural gaps with the private sector: strong feminisation (68% women compared to 44%), overrepresentation of disability (11% administrative recognition compared to 5%), increased use of fixed-term contracts, subsidised jobs and part-time work (nearly a third, often imposed) (p.1-2). The average net salary in EQTP is €2,210 compared to €2,720 in the private sector, a difference of -19%, with significant internal disparities: €3,170 in health but €1,810 in social action without accommodation (p.2). This data provides a solid basis for objectifying the HR reality of the sector.
2️⃣ KEY POINTS OF THE DOCUMENT
1️⃣ A sector primarily focused on health and social care — 57% of association employees fall within the health and social care field; social action without accommodation alone accounts for 574,200 employees (p.1, Figure 1).
2️⃣ A growth that is slowing down and could reverse — after +7.3% between 2018 and 2024, association employment would decline by 0.7% in 2025, with culture being the most affected (-2.6%) while health and social care would resist slightly (+0.3% and +1.0%) (p.1).
3️⃣ A net salary gap of 19% with the private sector — €2,210 net/month in EQTP compared to €2,720, with a median of €1,950 and significant sectoral disparities: €3,170 in health, €1,810 in social action without accommodation (p.2, Figure 2).
4️⃣ Marked contractual precariousness — 31% of specific contracts (fixed-term, subsidised jobs, temporary work, apprenticeships, internships) compared to 19% in the private sector; 9% of subsidised jobs (1% in the private sector), up to 29% in employment-related activities; nearly a third part-time, more often imposed (29%) (p.2).
5️⃣ A feminised workforce, older and more likely to be disabled — 68% women (44% in the private sector), 21% aged 55 and over, and 11% of employees with official recognition of disability (5% in the private sector), the highest rate in social action without accommodation (p.1-2).
3️⃣ ACTION TRACKS FOR LOCAL ACTORS
(operational uses of data — the document being descriptive)
1️⃣ Objectify a funding application by citing sectoral figures (staff numbers, payroll, health and social weight, Figure 1 p.1) rather than an approximate estimate.
2️⃣ Feed a salary or HR argument with the gap of -19% in FTE and salaries by sector (p.2) to situate one's own structure and inform a social dialogue or a convention negotiation.
3️⃣ Anticipate fragility 2025 : integrate the estimated decline (-0.7%, -2.6% in culture, p.1) into a workforce forecast and a plan to secure positions funded by subsidised jobs (of which the share is decreasing, p.2).
4️⃣ Document an inclusion policy by relying on the 11% (or even 21% with long-term limitations) of employees with disabilities (p.1-2), useful for highlighting the sector's exemplary nature or identifying an area for internal improvement.
5️⃣ Illuminate a gender equality approach based on the 68% feminisation and the gaps by sector (77% in medico-social accommodation, 43% in sports and leisure, p.1), to target gender balance and career paths.
6️⃣ Locate a part-time position in light of underemployment (9% compared to 4% in the private sector, p.2) in order to identify involuntary part-time work and raise the question of contract consolidation. Unmet need: the document provides no territorial data or by size of structure — a local diagnosis will need to mobilise the Departmental Essentials (see references below).
4️⃣ ADDITIONAL REFERENCES (3 references post-2024, verified active URLs)
- The Associative France in Motion, 23rd edition — Research & Solidarity, October 2025. A comprehensive overview of associative life (creations, employment, volunteering, morale of leaders), complementary in its territorial and prospective dimension.
🔗 https://recherches-solidarites.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/La-France-associative-16-10-2025.pdf - 2025 Report on Employment in Health and Social Associations (17th edition) — DLA Solidarity-Health Resource Centre & Research & Solidarity, September 2025. Detailed focus on the dominant field identified by INJEP (1.2 million employees, developments by sub-sector).
🔗 https://www.uniopss.asso.fr/sites/default/files/fichiers/uniopss/BILAN_DE_LEMPLOI_ASSOCIATIF_SANITAIRE_ET_SOCIAL__Sept_2025.pdf - The Role of Digital in the Associative Project 2025 — Research & Solidarity & Solidatech, November 2025. Thematic supplement on the changes in professions and the emergence of AI in employing structures.
🔗 https://recherches-solidarites.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RS-Solidatech-Rapport-2025.pdf
5️⃣ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
1️⃣ How many employees are there in associative employment at the end of 2024?
1.94 million people, of which 1.60 million are in primary positions (i.e. 7.9% of private sector employees). These employees hold 2.00 million positions (p.1 and note 1, p.2).
2️⃣ In which fields do they predominantly work?
The health and social field dominates (57 %): social action without accommodation (30 %), medico-social and social accommodation (20 %), health (8 %) (p.1, Figure 1).
3️⃣ Is employment in associations increasing or decreasing?
It has increased by 7.3 % between 2018 and 2024 (+1.2 %/year, slightly less than the private sector), but a provisional estimate anticipates a decrease of 0.7 % in 2025 (p.1).
4️⃣ What is the average salary in an association?
€2,210 net/month in full-time equivalent in 2024, which is 19 % less than in the private sector (€2,720). The median is €1,950 (p.2, Figure 2).
5️⃣ Are salaries homogeneous across sectors?
No. Health reaches €3,170 (driven by some doctors), compared to €1,810 in social action without accommodation, €1,980 in employment-related activities, and €2,070 in sports and leisure (p.2).
6️⃣ Is employment in associations more precarious?
Yes: 31 % of specific contracts (compared to 19 %), 9 % of subsidised jobs (compared to 1 %), nearly a third part-time, of which 29 % are involuntary part-time (p.2).
7️⃣ Does the sector employ more people with disabilities?
Yes: 11 % of employees have an official recognition of disability (5 % in the private sector), the highest rate in social action without accommodation (p.1-2).
6️⃣ REWRITING IN EASY TO READ LANGUAGE
Employment in associations in 2024
In France, many people work in an association.
By the end of 2024, there are 1.94 million employees.
Most work in health and social care.
How much do they earn?
The average salary is 2,210 euros net per month.
This is for a full-time job.
In the private sector, the average salary is higher: 2,720 euros.
Salaries are not the same everywhere.
In healthcare, you earn more.
In social action, you earn less.
Who works in associations?
There are many women: 68 employees out of 100 are women.
There are also older people.
There are more people with disabilities than in the private sector.
A sometimes fragile job
Many contracts are short.
One in three employees works part-time.
Often, these people would like to work more.
And tomorrow?
The number of employees has increased in recent years.
But it could decrease a little in 2025.
The culture sector is the most affected.
7️⃣ CROSS-ANALYSIS — VALUES OF HEALTH PRACTICES
- Literacy : the document is not designed for all audiences; it assumes expert reading of numerical data (no integrated popularisation tool).
- Empowerment : not addressed — descriptive statistical document, without association of the people concerned.
- Participation : no co-construction mechanism; institutional production based on administrative data.
- Community health : collective dimension absent; the unit of analysis is the salaried position, not the territory or the community.
- Ethics : statistical neutrality respected, sources and scope clarified; no value judgment, but no analysis of social biases either.
- Human rights : the measurement of disability and the objective feminisation of equity issues, without an inclusive approach claimed.
- Intersectorality : indirectly illustrated (crossing Insee-Urssaf-Dares), but not recommended as a practice.
- Partnership : no model of collaboration proposed; the document does not fall within this category.
- Fight against discrimination : the gaps (gender, age, disability, salary) are measured but not analysed from the perspective of discrimination; the document describes, it does not denounce.
Overall reading consistent with gender: a statistical sheet does not carry these values — it provides the numerical material that allows others to mobilise them.
8️⃣ EVALUATION OF THE RELIABILITY OF THE RESOURCE
Scientific relevance: high. Public reference sources (Insee bases All employees 2018-2024, survey Employment 2021-2024, Urssaf, Dares), scope and method clarified, identified institutional author. 2024 data very recent; 2025 estimate clearly indicated as provisional (based on positions, excluding temporary work).
Operational relevance: average. Citable and reliable data, but no territorial granularity, no data by size of structure, and no tools or recommendations. Usable as a diagnostic base, not as an action guide.
Reported internal inconsistencies (not corrected):
- The introductory box states 57 % in health and social care, whereas the sum of the detailed parts (30 % + 20 % + 8 %) gives 58 % — minor rounding discrepancy.
- The total of Figure 1 (1 937 100) is presented as "1.94 million" — consistent by rounding, the note specifying that the sum of the areas does not equal the total (26,000 double counts).
9️⃣ STRATEGIC HASHTAGS
#healthpractices #AssociativeEmployment #AssociativeLife #ESS #KeyFigures #HealthAndSocialCare #ProfessionalEquality #INJEP
🔍➕ For more information, see the articles referenced by "Health Practices" on the theme of health and work ➡️🔗