Migrants Built Post‑War France’s Infrastructure and Industry

After World War II France faced a severe labour shortage. From the mid‑1950s the French state organised recruitment drives in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, sending tens of thousands of North‑African migrants to construction sites and factories. By the 1960s‑70s these workers became the main force on the assembly lines of Renault, Peugeot and Citroën and on the building projects of Bouygues and Vinci. They built roughly 90 % of France’s motorways and half of the country’s post‑war housing stock, underpinning the rapid economic growth known as the "Trente Glorieuses".

Despite their contribution, migrants were paid about 17 % less than French workers with comparable qualifications in 1972 and were confined to the most arduous, low‑skill jobs. Their labour helped keep wages down for the native working class, while the profits accrued to shareholders and industrial owners. The legacy includes persistent social inequalities, unemployment among descendants of these workers, deteriorating suburbs, higher crime rates and educational challenges.