The file promised to be hypersensitive, but the government did not finally have to draw the constitutional weapon of 49.3.

The senators ratified, by a final vote, a compromise found with the deputies on the modulation of unemployment insurance according to the economic situation.

If the text bristles the left, the far right and the unions, it finally passed without incident thanks to an agreement between the presidential majority and the right.

Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt's bill initially plans to extend the current unemployment insurance rules, resulting from a disputed reform of Macron's first five-year term.

A decree to this effect was taken in advance at the end of October.

It also triggers the possibility, by decree, of modulating certain rules of unemployment insurance so that it is "stricter when too many jobs are unfilled, more generous when unemployment is high", according to the campaign promise of Emmanuel Macron.

The Senate imposed its text

Consultation is underway with the social partners, and the government will announce "the arbitrations adopted" on November 21, for an application of the modulation at the start of 2023. "We are working on a modulation of the maximum duration of compensation", currently 24 to 36 months depending on age, Mr. Dussopt told MPs on Tuesday.

Thus “we do not plan to modify the conditions of affiliation to the unemployment insurance system”.

It takes six months of work over a reference period of 24 months to be eligible.

The compromise found between deputies and senators was all the same at the cost of a hardening imposed by the senators It was added that the refusal twice in one year of a CDI after a CDD or an interim contract on the same job, the same place and with the same remuneration, will lead to the loss of unemployment compensation.



"The government did not want it, but we did not bend," said the rapporteur for the text in the Senate Frédérique Puissat (LR).

His counterpart in the Assembly Marc Ferracci (Renaissance) finds the measure "little operational and legally fragile", and sees in it "a somewhat ideological approach, even if there is a real subject on the refusal of CDI".

Right-wing elected officials “have been force of proposal, both in the Assembly and in the Senate”, welcomes the deputy LR Stéphane Viry, who however believes that the bill “does not exhaust” the reforms to be carried out.

Another provision, added by amendments from the presidential majority and LR deputies, is still debated: “abandonment of post” will now be equated with a resignation, to limit access to unemployment insurance.

Even if it means forgetting that this is sometimes the last way for an employee to express their discomfort at work.

  • Company

  • Senate

  • Olivier Dussopt

  • Minister of Labor

  • Unemployment

  • Unemployment insurance