Par
Nicolas Pipelier
Published on
Nov. 7, 2024 at 5:45 p.m.
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Where do you earn the best living in Vendée? In its latest work on wages in the Pays de la Loire, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) provides snippets of answers.
Looking more closely at the figures, we can read that half of Vendéens receive a salary higher than €12.23 net per hour. Salaries lower than the regional average (€12.87) and the French provincial average (€12.89). But higher than the legal minimum wage capped at €8.76 net per hour.
On average, a Vendéen earns €13.96 per hour, while a Ligerien earns €15.13 and the Frenchman earns €15.38. In the department, the 10% of lowest paid employees earn less than €9.48 net per hour.
As for the 10% of the best paid, they receive €19.72. The latter, mostly executives, earn 2.08% more than the lowest paid. The regional average stands at 2.39% and the national average at 2.50%.
The biggest salaries in La Roche-sur-Yon
At the heart of the department, disparities emerge. Thus, an employee in the La Roche-sur-Yon employment zone will receive more (€14.48) than an employee in Herbiers-Montaigu (€14.36), Sables-d'Olonne (€14.22). €), Challans (€13.43) or Fontenay-le-Comte (€13.31).
The gaps between the highest and lowest paid are lower in Fontenay-le-Comte (1.96%) and Challans (1.97%). Where they exceed 2% in La Roche-sur-Yon (2.19%), Les Sables-d'Olonne (2.17%) and Les Herbiers-Montaigu (2.10%).
That said, the differences remain small. “The region is among those whose salary dispersion is less marked, such as Corsica, Brittany or Burgundy-France-Comté. This narrower salary scale is explained by the fact that the lowest paid 10% have salaries higher than the national average. And conversely, the best-paid 10% have hourly wages lower than those in provincial France,” specify Martine Barré and David Morineau, the authors of the study.
The “agglomeration gain” effect
Vendée is not immune to the “agglomeration gain” effect which means that emoluments are higher in areas of urban concentration. These areas often have the advantage of bringing together metropolitan functions and strategic jobs with high decision-making content. “They thus promote a dynamic of innovation and stimulate local activity by attracting executives with high purchasing power,” observe INSEE statisticians.
It is for this reason that La Roche-sur-Yon comes at the top of the best paid areas. Notably thanks to its high salaries (€20.90), higher than in Fontenay-le-Comte (€18.38) or Challans (€18.57). But almost equal with Les Sables-d'Olonne (€20.57) and Les Herbiers-Montaigu (€20.20). “An engineer or technical manager receives a median salary (€21.39) twice as high as an unskilled worker (€10.69). »
The size of the companies
Likewise, employment areas influence income gaps. A highly industrialized territory will have more high salaries than a predominantly social or medico-social sector. We see this in Les Herbiers “where the share of these positions is the lowest (3.5%). This plays favorably for the area. While in Sables-d'Olonne, the high share of positions in the accommodation-catering sector (11.2% compared to 4.2%) plays unfavorably. »
The size of establishments also plays a role. “In establishments with 250 or more employees, salaries are generally higher than in smaller establishments. The presence of establishments of this size plays favorably for the Herbiers-Montaigu employment zones. »
Young people and women
Finally, areas which concentrate more young workers and women are less well endowed. “Median salaries in the employment zones of Sables-d'Olonne and Challans, where the proportion of 15-24 year olds is the highest, are being driven downwards,” notes INSEE. “On the other hand, the employment zone of La Roche-sur-Yon holds the 4e lower proportion of young people (9.5%) and has a better median salary. »
Today, the median net hourly wage of women is 10.5% lower than that of men in Pays de la Loire. In Vendée, the 2021 figures showed a net median hourly salary of 5.1% lower for young women aged 18 to 25, 13% for those aged 26-50 and 19.6% for those over 50.
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