Wave of Suicides in Macron’s Government: 13 Dead in the Ministry of Economy in Six Months
Macron’s government is once again facing a silent yet deeply troubling tragedy within its own administration. Over the past six months, 13 employees of the General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFIP), a key institution under the Ministry of Economy, have died by suicide. In addition to these deaths, eight other suicide attempts have been reported during the same period. The alarming spike in such incidents has raised serious concerns and forced the French government to implement emergency psychological intervention programs in an attempt to prevent further loss of life.
According to Le Monde, the situation bears unsettling similarities to the France Télécom scandal of 2008–2009, during which 19 employees died by suicide and 12 others attempted to take their own lives. In that case, the court ruled that the restructuring policies pursued by the company constituted institutional harassment. The DGFIP itself was born out of a similar restructuring—a forced merger between the tax and public accounting departments in 2008.
Experts and union representatives quoted by the French press have pointed to a toxic workplace environment fueled by unsustainable performance targets, constant pressure, forced relocations, and the systematic erosion of working conditions. They argue that this environment contributes directly to the mental health crisis unfolding within the institution. The France Télécom case set a legal precedent when its former CEO, Didier Lombard, was sentenced to prison for institutional harassment—after it was revealed that top management deliberately sought to drive employees out, as one witness described, “through the door or through the window.”
Faced with mounting public and media scrutiny, the director of the DGFIP, Amélie Verdier, publicly acknowledged the severity of the crisis. “I do not want to downplay these deaths in any way,” she told Le Monde. “They are deeply traumatic tragedies and alarming figures.”
While no formal legal complaints have been filed, public concern is intensifying. France now faces another internal crisis with far-reaching implications for its public administration.
