Private sector wages in Mayotte analyzed

A study released on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, by Insee and Deets provides the first comprehensive analysis of private sector wages in Mayotte as of the end of 2024. The study highlights significant structural disparities in wages and employment patterns.

Private sector employment levels

The private sector in Mayotte employed 24,200 workers as of the end of 2024, representing 47% of declared jobs on the island. This figure is well below the standards observed in La Réunion (69%) or the Hexagone (78%).

Average net salary in Mayotte

In full-time equivalent (FTE) terms, the average net salary is 2,160 euros per month, a 13% deficit compared to the provincial hexagonal area outside Île-de-France (2,480 euros). Mayotte ranks at the bottom of the national table, just ahead of the Creuse and the Lozère.

Median salary and wage gap

The median salary is 1,700 euros net per month, with half of the private sector workers earning less than this amount, a 20% negative gap compared to provincial workers and the lowest level in France.

Minimum wage disparity

The minimum wage in Mahorais as of November 1, 2024, was 1,227.97 euros net per month, compared to 1,426.30 euros on the rest of the national territory. This legal disparity resulted in more than 27% of private sector workers in Mayotte receiving a salary below the national reference minimum wage as of the end of 2024.

Wage alignment law

The law on programming for the refoundation of Mayotte, adopted in August 2025, aims to align wages with the mainland by December 2031, but the effects on lower salaries remain pending. The 10% of workers least well paid (first decile) received a maximum of 1,210 euros net per month, a 19% deficit compared to the province.

Wage inequality in Mayotte

The wage inequality ratio between the two extremes of the spectrum in Mayotte is 5.2, compared to 4.6 in the province. This places Mayotte in the tenth position among the most unequal departments in the Republic, reflecting a marked dispersion of incomes between a mass of modest workers and a professional elite.

Workforce demographics

The workforce in Mayotte is notably younger, with 57% of employees under 40 years old, compared to 48% in the province. This contributes to lower wages due to less seniority. The territory has two times fewer managers than the mainland (9% of employees compared to 18%).

Managerial salaries

These managers receive an average of 4,670 euros net per month, 15% more than their counterparts in the Hexagone (4,070 euros) and more than in La Réunion (4,210 euros). This premium is attributed to the scarcity of specialized skills in Mayotte and historical practices of overpayment in subsidiaries of public groups.

Skilled worker wages

Skilled workers in Mayotte suffer the heaviest drop in wages, with an average of 1,810 euros net per month, a 17% deficit compared to the mainland. Unskilled workers experience a 13% drop, and employees a 9% drop.

Gender wage gap

The gender wage gap in Mayotte is narrower (9%) compared to the province (13%), partly due to a proportion of female managers (8%) that is almost equivalent to that of men (9%).

Private sector job distribution

The private sector in Mayotte represents less than half of the jobs, with more than 53% of employees working in companies with fewer than 50 people, where the monthly net income is around 1,960 euros. Only 21% of the workforce is employed in organizations with more than 250 employees, averaging 2,680 euros, compared to 39% in the mainland.

Sectoral employment

This lack of large companies limits branch negotiations, interest agreements, and wage maneuverability. Five sectors concentrate 66% of private employment, with commerce leading (17%) and construction (16%). Construction employs proportionally twice as many workers as in the province but distributes average wages that are 15% lower (1,980 euros compared to 2,340 euros) due to an overwhelming overrepresentation of execution workers.

Future wage goals

Only highly qualified but marginal sectors such as information-communication, where managers reach 5,190 euros, stand out. The representative of the Direction of the Economy, Employment, Work, and Solidarities (Deets) emphasized the need to align the social convergence trajectory with real productivity gains, notably through recently initiated employment and skills development commitment agreements (EDEC) in the agri-food, digital, and soon construction sectors.

Measuring progress

A milestone is set for 2028 based on the 2026 data to measure whether the promises of catch-up materialize in the purchasing power of Mahorais households.