What’s in the New French Draft Law on Pay Transparency?

Why It Matters

The legislation tightens France’s gender‑pay equity framework, imposing costly reporting and remediation duties that will reshape compensation practices, recruitment, and contract terms for a broad swath of employers, while signaling stricter enforcement across the EU.

Summary

France’s Ministry of Labour released a preliminary draft law on pay transparency on 6 March 2026, replacing the current Professional Equality Index with seven new remuneration indicators for firms with 50+ employees. The draft mandates detailed reporting, publication of indicators, and stronger consultation with works councils, with tiered obligations for employers of 50‑99 and 100+ staff, including corrective action if gender pay gaps exceed thresholds. It also bans pay‑secrecy clauses, requires salary ranges in job ads, grants employees the right to request pay data, and shifts the burden of proof in discrimination cases to employers. Non‑compliance could attract fines up to 1 % of payroll, and the bill is slated for parliamentary debate by the end of 2026, with most provisions taking effect within a year of enactment.