Is 1 May a Paid Public Holiday in France?
Updated: May 2026
Yes — and it is unique. Labour Day (Fête du Travail, 1 May) is the only French public holiday that the law makes a compulsory paid day off for every employee. All the other jours fériés are treated quite differently.
See where 1 May falls this year and the rest of the calendar.
Open the holiday calendar →The special status of 1 May
Under the French Labour Code, 1 May is a paid, non-working public holiday for all employees, regardless of seniority or contract type. An employer cannot dock pay for the day, and it cannot be treated as ordinary annual leave. It is the only holiday with this universal statutory protection.
What if you have to work on 1 May?
Some sectors must keep running on Labour Day — hospitals, transport, hospitality, emergency services. Employees who work that day are entitled to double pay: their normal wage for the day plus an equal amount, in addition to the day's earnings. This premium is specific to 1 May and does not automatically apply to other holidays.
How the other holidays compare
- Paid time off: for the other 10 holidays, whether you are paid for a day off depends on your collective agreement, company custom and length of service.
- Working a holiday: there is no automatic legal premium for working on holidays other than 1 May — any bonus comes from the agreement.
- In practice: most French employees do get the other holidays as paid days off, because collective agreements and custom are generous, but it is not a blanket legal right like 1 May.
If 1 May falls on a weekend
France does not move the holiday to a weekday if 1 May lands on a Saturday or Sunday. In that case the day is simply absorbed into the weekend and there is no replacement day off — the same rule that applies to every French holiday.
Frequently asked questions
Are all French public holidays paid?
Only 1 May is guaranteed paid by law for everyone. The others are usually paid in practice but depend on the collective agreement.
Do I get double pay for working on holidays?
Double pay is a legal right only on 1 May. Premiums for other holidays come from your agreement, not the law.
Can my employer make me take 1 May as annual leave?
No. It is a paid public holiday and cannot be counted as part of your paid annual leave.