A first hire should not require a second job

To the Team Council,

I support the proposed Fair Hiring Cost Standard. I am writing from Paris, where I have recently made my first employee hire. The decision was not difficult because I did not want help. It was difficult because I could not get one clear answer to a basic question: what would this person cost me, and what would I have to do before their first day?

The decision

In January 2026, I decided I could no longer manage the work alone. I had enough regular work to justify hiring one person, but not enough certainty to feel comfortable taking on a commitment I might not be able to meet. I set aside money each month and made a simple budget. The gross monthly salary I planned was €1,900. That was not the full cost, and I knew it. What I did not know was how far beyond it the full cost would go, or how much administration would be needed to reach a reliable figure.

I asked a payroll provider for an estimate. The first figure I put in my budget was about €2,260 a month for salary and employer costs, before some other expenses. The provider also quoted €390 for setup and €95 a month for payroll administration. I needed to understand what the estimate included, and whether it accounted for reductions that could apply at this salary. I received answers, but not in one place or in a format that made it easy to compare the estimate with my cash available.

I tried to assemble the picture myself. I read information from URSSAF, reviewed the steps for the pre-employment declaration, and asked questions about the monthly social declaration. I also needed to account for the employer’s share of complementary health insurance and the cost of

occupational health arrangements. Each item could be explained separately. The strain was that I had to combine them, check which applied to me, and make a decision while still doing the work that paid for the hire.

From decision to first payslip

The employment began on 2 March. On 24 February, I submitted the DPAE—the déclaration préalable à l’embauche—through the URSSAF service. It must be made before the employee starts work and can be submitted within the eight days preceding the start date. I was relieved to complete it on time, but completing that form was only one step. I still had to ensure the contract, payroll setup, insurance arrangements and monthly reporting were in order.

When the first payroll was prepared, the total employer cost came to about €2,318 for the month, including the salary, employer contributions and the employer’s share of the health plan. The exact amount depends on the circumstances and the applicable reductions; I am not offering this as a universal rate. It was my actual budget line, and it was higher than the estimate I had first used. The difference was manageable because I had left a margin. A business with less cash in reserve might have had to delay the start, reduce hours, or decide not to hire.

Then came the monthly rhythm. For a small employer like me, the DSN, or déclaration sociale nominative, brings payroll and social declarations together and is generally due by the 15th of the following month. That common reporting system is useful. But for a first-time employer, knowing that the DSN exists is not the same as knowing what to enter, what must already be arranged, and what the amount due will be. The first month felt like learning several connected systems at once, with little room for a mistake.

I do not say that the rules should disappear. Employees need their protections, and contributions support important systems. Nor do I think a small employer should be excused from paying what is due. I want to hire formally and to know, before making the promise, what formal

employment will require. Predictability is part of fairness to the worker as well as to the employer.

What I would change

The Team Council’s proposal addresses the right problem. For the first ten hires, I would support a phased schedule of social contributions that is clear in advance, alongside one straightforward route for registration and payroll obligations. A new employer should be able to enter the planned start date, salary and number of employees, then receive a dependable estimate of the full monthly cost and a checklist in the order the tasks must be completed.

The phased contribution schedule should not create a sudden jump when a business makes its second, fifth or tenth hire. It should state which contributions are reduced, for how long, how the employee’s rights are protected, and what happens when the phase ends. Where possible, the relief should be applied automatically rather than requiring a new application that a first-time employer may not know to make. The same service should make clear which steps remain the employer’s responsibility, including the DPAE and recurring DSN.

This would not remove the need for professional advice in complicated situations. It would make the ordinary first hire understandable without requiring every small employer to become a payroll specialist. It would also help public authorities: a business that can forecast the cost and complete the process is more likely to hire formally and report correctly.