https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed If you are a freelancer, sole trader or small business owner in France you may have already begun to receive emails about 'facturation électronique' - here's what the new electronic billing system means. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260420/explained-new-electronic-billing-for-self-employed-workers-in-france Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:59:14 +0200 explained-new-electronic-billing-for-self-employed-workers-in-france The French government has put on hold the parliamentary process for a proposed law that would have allowed certain job sectors to operate on May 1st. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260414/french-government-backtracks-on-proposed-new-law-for-working-on-may-1st Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:05:20 +0200 french-government-backtracks-on-proposed-new-law-for-working-on-may-1st French MPs will this week debate a bill that would allow some people to work on May 1st - the public holiday marking International Workers' Day. However, it's already proving controversial. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260408/explained-frances-proposed-new-law-for-working-on-may-1st Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:47:53 +0200 explained-frances-proposed-new-law-for-working-on-may-1st France’s social benefits system is pretty generous, but — as is sometimes claimed by politicians to the right of the spectrum, particularly around election time — is ‘sponging off the state’ more lucrative than working for a living? https://www.thelocal.fr/20260313/could-you-really-be-better-off-living-on-benefits-in-france-than-working Fri, 13 Mar 2026 16:36:56 +0100 could-you-really-be-better-off-living-on-benefits-in-france-than-working French rail unions have demanded the withdrawal of a dress code advising SNCF staff how to dress with 'French elegance' according to their body shape. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260311/fury-over-french-rail-operators-dress-code-straight-out-of-1960s Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:21:50 +0100 fury-over-french-rail-operators-dress-code-straight-out-of-1960s France's useful online simulator which helps workers accurately plan for their retirement has been updated to take into account the suspension of the flagship pension reform. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260209/france-updates-website-that-helps-you-calculate-your-french-pension Mon, 09 Feb 2026 09:53:23 +0100 france-updates-website-that-helps-you-calculate-your-french-pension If you're out of work in France, you can receive benefits and support through France Travail (formerly known as Pôle emploi) - but these days the money comes with strict conditions attached. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260121/chomage-what-are-your-obligations-if-you-are-unemployed-in-france Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:55:29 +0100 chomage-what-are-your-obligations-if-you-are-unemployed-in-france Losing your job may trigger a whole lot of stress, including the complicated process of registering with the unemployment office - here's our guide to France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi). https://www.thelocal.fr/20260115/guide-how-to-register-with-france-travail-if-you-lose-your-job Thu, 15 Jan 2026 18:01:45 +0100 guide-how-to-register-with-france-travail-if-you-lose-your-job France's micro-entrepreneur status (formerly known as auto-entrepreneur) is for people starting out a business in a small way or operating as a freelancer - setting it up can be quite complicated, and involves some technical vocabulary. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260109/micro-entrepreneurs-vocab-guide-for-being-self-employed-in-france Fri, 09 Jan 2026 17:23:50 +0100 micro-entrepreneurs-vocab-guide-for-being-self-employed-in-france The salary you can earn in France differs greatly depending on where you live in the country, new figures reveal. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260102/compare-where-in-france-do-people-get-paid-the-most Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:14:47 +0100 compare-where-in-france-do-people-get-paid-the-most France's public accounts minister has confirmed that proposed VAT changes have been scrapped, much to the relief of many freelancers and small-businesses. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251223/vat-reforms-in-france-axed-after-government-backtrack Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:56:43 +0100 vat-reforms-in-france-axed-after-government-backtrack What you need to know about registering your small business for VAT in France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251210/explained-how-to-get-a-vat-number-in-france Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:35:30 +0100 explained-how-to-get-a-vat-number-in-france France’s Senate has removed controversial plans to lower VAT thresholds for freelancers and small business owners from the Budget bill - although that doesn't mean that the idea is completely dead and buried. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251203/frances-senate-again-axes-budgets-controversial-vat-changes Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:05:07 +0100 frances-senate-again-axes-budgets-controversial-vat-changes If you're interested in explaining the news and major changes in France to our audience of international residents and regular visitors and think you have what it takes to be a journalist for The Local France, then read on. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250113/job-advert-the-local-france-is-hiring-a-new-journalist Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:51:09 +0100 job-advert-the-local-france-is-hiring-a-new-journalist Working for yourself or ‘working for the man’? The difference is more than an impression – and French law takes a very dim view of so-called ‘disguised employment’. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250903/disguised-employment-and-what-it-means-for-freelancers-in-france Wed, 03 Sep 2025 17:18:19 +0200 disguised-employment-and-what-it-means-for-freelancers-in-france If you are running a small business or operating as a freelancer in France, watch out for official-looking letters demanding payments for legal registration or services - they may not be all they seem, as freelancer Aurore Laborie explains. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250903/payment-warning-for-micro-entrepreneurs-in-france Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:58:43 +0200 payment-warning-for-micro-entrepreneurs-in-france There is a common belief that French people take off the entire month of August, much to the envy of workers in other countries. But is that truly the case? https://www.thelocal.fr/20240730/factcheck-do-french-people-really-take-off-the-entire-month-of-august Tue, 30 Jul 2024 18:51:02 +0200 factcheck-do-french-people-really-take-off-the-entire-month-of-august France might have a reputation as a place where anything goes when it comes to l'amour, but if you strike up a relationship with a colleague, there are some rules to be observed. https://www.thelocal.fr/20191105/love-as-you-want-the-rules-around-dating-colleagues-in-france Tue, 05 Nov 2019 11:49:05 +0100 love-as-you-want-the-rules-around-dating-colleagues-in-france One country's national stereotype is about hard work and efficiency, the other's is more concerned with lunch, cigarette breaks and strikes - but is it actually true that the Germans work harder than the French? https://www.thelocal.fr/20250717/who-works-harder-the-french-or-the-germans Thu, 17 Jul 2025 17:51:30 +0200 who-works-harder-the-french-or-the-germans An exhortation by the prime minister to the French to "work more" has led to a revival of old stereotypes about the French being lazy, with their workers mostly either on strike, on holiday or at lunch. But does the data support the cliché? https://www.thelocal.fr/20230511/mythbuster-are-french-workers-really-lazy Thu, 11 May 2023 15:20:43 +0200 mythbuster-are-french-workers-really-lazy