Muriel Pénicaud, Minister of Labor, at the National Assembly, Tuesday. - Jacques Witt / SIPA

Employees, who resigned just before confinement due to a promise of employment, will be able to benefit from unemployment insurance, assured Muriel Pénicaud, the Minister of Labor, on Thursday.

“It was a hole in the racket that was pulled up from the field. Those who had resigned shortly before confinement, before March 17, and who had a promise to hire, on CDI, CDD, often found themselves between two chairs and frankly penalized, "said the minister. "With Pôle emploi and Unédic, I decided that we would take them into account for unemployment," she added.

The objective: to avoid massive layoffs

In addition, the Minister updated the figure, constantly increasing, of the employees for whom their company asked for partial unemployment: they are now 6.9 million, a new record, out of nearly 20 million private sector employees. A total of 628,000 companies have used this system. The cost, shared between the State and Unédic, the organization that manages unemployment insurance, "will be very significant, more than 20 billion euros," said Muriel Pénicaud.

"It is a worthwhile investment" because it avoids mass layoffs, she said. During the 2008 crisis, this device had not been developed as much by the government of the time and "700,000 people lost their jobs," she said. The partial unemployment system allows the employee to be compensated up to 70% of gross salary and 84% of net salary.

Towards better compensation for the self-employed?

Asked whether the government was considering banning the dismissal, as claimed by the unions, she said that "history has proven that it does not work at all, otherwise it quickly becomes a refusal to hire" employer. The minister also indicated that the government was considering improving the compensation of the self-employed, who can currently already use the solidarity fund.

"We plan to go beyond the 1,500 euros in compensation for them because for some, it is very difficult." "Today, there are 1,500 euros that are acquired by right (as part of the fund) if you have a loss of turnover of 50%, and then there can be 2,000 euros more, but these criteria These are being studied to see if we can improve them, "she said.

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  • Covid 19
  • Containment
  • Society
  • Coronavirus
  • Job
  • Employees
  • Unemployment
  • Unemployment insurance