On the tail end, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares and his 36.5 million euros in annual remuneration in 2023. On the opposite side, there are thousands of novice or experienced “small bosses”, heads of businesses or individual companies, who are paid. Minimum wage or less. Like Nellie Bouet, 42, owner of a café-restaurant near Vichy (Allier). In the throes of the establishment, his voice is laced with anger mixed with fatalism. “Before moving here, in 2018, I worked in wealth managementshe testifies. I wanted to stop so as not to have to travel around France to see clients, I wanted to work for myself, not chase money. » Bad bet. “Today, I am above the poverty line, and below the minimum wage”she squeaks.
His cafe-restaurant has sunk due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting lifestyle changes. “Until 2020, everything was going very well. I had a clientele of elderly people who came here for lunch to break their solitude and not cook. Since the Covid-19 crisis, municipalities have contracted with companies that deliver their prepared meals to them at unbeatable prices. On one hand, they are alienating our elders, on the other hand, my turnover has decreased. » The restaurateur, who has five children, three of whom are dependents, could no longer live, despite strict management. “ I no longer have employees, I only take extras. I ditched credit cards and all contingencies. I work hard to try to get by, but it’s getting tiring to survive. »
Francine Morand is the manager of six driving schools in Ain and employs fifteen people. Competition and increased costs have forced her to cut her remuneration by 30% from 2019. “ I have been self-employed for thirty-five years, I work every Saturday from 8 am to 7 pm and at the end of the month I earn between 1,500 and 2,000 euros.This reveals a sixty year old. I have no hope of paying myself better, I have resigned. » Five years before retirement, she may consider selling her business, as she no longer owns the premises. “But, in this activity, it sells at a nominal price. No cost to customers, people change driving schools like shirts. »
According to a survey conducted by the Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises at the beginning of the year, one in five owners of very small businesses (VSEs) or small or medium-sized businesses (SMEs) pay themselves less than 1,400 euros. than the minimum wage, which was a net amount of 1,398.69 euros at 1er January. A small third (31%) are paid between 1,400 and 2,600 euros – which corresponds to the average salary in the private sector in 2022, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. A quarter of them earn between 2,600 and 4,000 euros net, and a quarter, more than 4,000 euros monthly.
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