An insight into the French CBA for advertising agencies
Affiliate marketing, Paid advertisements, search engine optimization, content marketing: all of these tasks can be completed online. Many marketing agencies have started hiring remote employees over the last years. Such flexible arrangements can help to overcome talent shortage and to retain staff. Yet, hiring remote employees comes with a new set of challenges.
Digital marketing agencies seeking to hire remote employees in France should familiarize themselves with the legal framework. In France, this includes statutory provisions as well as provisions of the collective bargaining agreement for advertising companies. These provisions have to be respected, even if the company does not have a legal entity in France.
Collective bargaining agreement for advertising agencies
Commenly the CBA advertising agencies is referred to as ‘CCN employés des entreprises de la publicité et assimilées’, translating to ‘CBA for employees of advertising companies and similar’. It’s official reference is ‘Convention collective nationale de travail des cadres, techniciens et employés de la publicité française du 22 avril 1955’. The IDCC code is IDCC 0086.
The complete text can be found on : legifrance.gouv.fr
The CBA for advertising companies fixes, among other, minimum salaries and bonus payments.
Minimum salaries according to the CBA advertising companies
The CBA advertising agencies fixes minimum salaries for different employee categories and levels.
Minimum salaries 1st category: ’employees’
| Level 1 (junior level*) | € 1 610 |
| Level 2 | € 1 625 |
| Level 3 | € 1 639 |
| Level 4 | € 1 711 |
* for six months
Minimum salaries 2nd category: ‘technicians’ & ‘agent de maîtrise’
| Level 1 | € 1 748 |
| Level 2 | € 1 799 |
| Level 3 | € 1 856 |
| Level 4 | € 1 969 |
Minimum salaries 3rd category: cadres *
| Level 1 (junior level **) | € 2 139 |
| Level 2 | € 2 346 |
| Level 3 | € 2 766 |
| Level 4 | € 3 621 |
* executive level staff as well as highly qualified with a certain level of autonomy and responsibility
** for one year
Even though the CBA marketing agencies fixes minimum salaries, in many cases, salaries well above the minimum levels have to be proposed to ensure the competitiveness of the job offer.
Seniority bonus in the advertising sector
The CBA marketing agencies provides for a seniority bonus for employees belonging to the category of employees, technicians and supervisors referred to as ETAM and having at least 3 years of seniority. So called ‘cadre’ staff (executive but also highly qualified staff with a certain responsibility and autonomy) is excluded from this provision.
The seniority bonus is paid monthly via the French payslip. It is calculated by applying a percentage to the before mentioned minimum salaries of the CBA advertising companies.
Seniority payment for ETAM staff
| Seniority | Pourcentage |
|---|---|
| after 3 years | 3 % |
| any additional year | + 1 % (total maximum : 15%) |
Example:
Classification : 2nd category – niveau 4, with a monthly salary of 2500 and 3 years of service with the company
Basic Salary € 2500
Seniority bonus € 1 969 * 3% = € 59.07
Total monthly salary € 2 559.07