France’s statutory minimum-wage system is commonly called the SMIC.
SMIC is the French abbreviation for salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance, meaning the interprofessional growth minimum wage. It applies across sectors to adult employees, subject to legally defined situations such as certain younger workers and apprentices.
The modern SMIC replaced the earlier SMIG system in 1970. Unlike the SMIG, which was linked more directly to household purchasing power, the SMIC was designed to support both purchasing power and participation in economic growth.
The SMIC is generally adjusted through a legal mechanism involving inflation and wage trends, with additional government increases possible. It should not be confused with the RSA, a social-assistance benefit rather than an employment wage.