Although the French have come slowly to the idea of self-employment, the good news is that the 'auto-entrepreneur' scheme launched in January 2009 continues to show every sign of success.
Figures just issued by the government show that the average monthly revenue per auto-entrepreneur indicates a steady rise, with an average of 1,330 euros per month for the 60% of registered auto-entrepreneurs who have filed their quarterly tax returns.
Although this figure may seem modest, it nonetheless represents nearly half of the allowable income of 2,750 euros monthly (or 34,000 euros per year) for services and liberal professions - not bad for new-start businesses, many of whom were not able to register under the scheme until April or have registered later in the year as the idea of self employment has gained in popularity in France.
When launching the scheme, the minister in charge of small business M Hervé Novelli said he imagined it would be used by many people part-time 'as a means of balancing their end-of-the-month budget' which appears to be what is happening.