Job seekers registered with Pôle emploi can benefit from a "situation period" in a company, in particular to complete a retraining project.

In 72% of cases, this device allowed a return to employment in the following year, according to figures published last week.

Being able to immerse yourself in a company for several days to discover a new profession when you are unemployed is part of the support measures offered by Pôle emploi.

Relatively little known, this "period of work experience" nevertheless facilitates the return to employment in the majority of cases.

The objective is to allow a job seeker to measure up to a new sector of activity when considering a possible retraining.

Or, if he has already made his choice, to verify in a situation that he has the required skills.

Above all, professional immersion can also be used to initiate a recruitment process. 

Convincing results

According to a study published Thursday by Pôle emploi, one year after the end of the immersion, 72% of beneficiaries had access to a job.

By way of comparison: only 55% of job seekers, among those who do not follow these immersion periods, find a job within one year of registering with Pôle Emploi.

The device therefore seems to pay, especially as companies find their account, since it is a form of trial period before hiring, without salary to be paid since the candidate continues to receive his allowances.

Companies are nevertheless obliged to devote resources to supporting jobseekers, in particular with the appointment of a tutor.

As for the beneficiaries, beyond the possible hiring, they see in this device a way to gain confidence before returning to a job.

"I hadn't imagined working in the gilding"

"Thanks to Pôle emploi, we managed to find a motivated person. In our field, it's very complicated", testifies to Europe 1 Pascal Meyer, at the head of a company specializing in the restoration of paintings in Schiltigheim, near Strasbourg.

Gennaro, a 36-year-old Italian unemployed for a few months and who has studied art, entered the studio as a gilder.

"I had not imagined working specifically in gilding, but after this period of immersion, I see that it is possible", he explains.

Still in training for two months, he should very soon become the seventh employee of the workshop. 

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In 2019, 182,000 unemployed people immersed in a company

In 2019 - the last year for which the device's figures are known - some 182,000 unemployed people were able to benefit from this immersion.

The average duration is seven days, sometimes a month or even two.

The beneficiaries are generally a little younger than the average age of the unemployed registered with Pôle Emploi and have more women than men.

These are often candidates with a little more education than the average.

Another data: nearly a third of the beneficiaries began their immersion quickly, within three months of their registration at Pôle Emploi.