On a rainy Thursday in December, by the Louvre Pyramid, a young woman in uniform spent the day shouting at visitors to get into the right lane to enter the museum. She oversaw thousands of tourists streaming in, some happy and some grumpy, all eager to take a selfie in front of the Mona Lisa. Little did they know that she was not a member of the Louvre's staff. She might wear the same uniform as her colleagues, but her wages are paid by a company called Musea.

Since 2023, France's biggest museum has outsourced 90 reception and security positions to Musea. The difference in employment terms for Musea's carefully disguised staff and those who work directly for the Louvre is significant: all perform the same tasks, but the Louvre employees are paid an hourly wage of €15.09 compared to €11.58 for the others. Louvre employees get three breaks a day, the others just one. There is no waiting period for sick leave for those working for the Louvre, but it's seven days for those working at Musea. It's a two-tier system.

Therein lies the paradox of France's cultural sector. Taking delight in the miracle of museums and private foundations' exponentially growing attendance, everyone ignores the other side of the coin – what one industry professional called the "museum Bermuda triangle." Behind the scenes at the museums, you will find "very low wages, careers that are difficult to build and management that is at best non-existent, at worst toxic".

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