Public holidays in 2027 fall on weekends

Four public holidays—May 1st, May 8th, the Assumption of Mary, and Christmas—will fall on a Saturday or Sunday in 2027. This is unusual, as typically only one or two public holidays fall on a weekend in any given year.

Fewer public holidays on weekdays in 2027

In 2027, only seven of the 11 public holidays will fall on weekdays, which are defined as days from Monday to Friday. This is a drop from previous years, where most public holidays aligned with weekdays.

Impact on most employees

For most French employees, the shift of public holidays to weekends means they will not gain additional rest days. However, for millions of private sector workers, this calendar change could result in more rest days known as RTT (Réduction du Temps de Travail).

Daily forfait contracts and RTT

Employees with daily forfait contracts, which count working time in terms of days rather than hours, are affected. These contracts allow workers to earn RTT days based on the number of days they work in a year and the number of public holidays falling on weekdays.

RTT calculations in 2027

The number of RTT days available to daily forfait workers in 2027 depends on how many days they work. For example, someone working 218 days in the year will earn 11 RTT days in 2027, compared to 9 in 2026. Those working fewer days may gain even more RTT.

Weekly work contracts and RTT

Employees with weekly contracts of 39 hours, which exceed the legal maximum of 35 hours, are also affected. They earn RTT to compensate for the extra hours worked. In 2027, these workers will gain about 23 RTT days, compared to 21 in 2026, due to the fewer public holidays on weekdays.