Paris (AFP)

The amended unemployment insurance reform will come into force on July 1 for the controversial new method of calculating the compensation for job seekers, the unions said at the end of a final consultation session with the ministry. du Travail Tuesday.

The hardening of the opening of rights (from 4 to 6 months of work out of the last 24 plus a neutralization period linked to confinements) will come into force no earlier than October 1.

It will depend on an improvement in the labor market appreciated over six months from April 1.

There will have to be both a drop in the number of job seekers in category A of 130,000 over six months and 2.7 million hires over one month over four months.

The degression of the allowance for high salaries (more than 4,500 euros gross monthly) will occur after eight months from July 1, a period reduced to six months depending on the improvement of the two indicators cited.

The bonus-malus on the unemployment contribution of companies in seven sectors that are large consumers of short contracts will be applied in September 2022 after a period of one year of observation of the behavior of companies.

Decided in July 2019 after the failure of a social negotiation very supervised by the executive, the reform aimed to achieve savings of 1 to 1.3 billion per year by tightening the compensation rules and fighting against appeals. excessive short-term contracts, all in a then dynamic labor market.

Due to the crisis, the government has repeatedly postponed its application, saying it is ready to discuss the "parameters" of the reform, but without abandoning its spirit.

The biggest savings will come from the most controversial provision, the change in the calculation of the daily reference wage (benefit basis) which will come into effect in July.

The executive defends "an issue of equity" because compensation is currently more favorable to people alternating short contracts and inactivity than to those working continuously.

According to Unédic, around 840,000 people (38% of beneficiaries) would have compensation more than 20% lower on average than they would receive under the current rules, even if they would have longer rights.

To limit the impact, the government has introduced a floor that will limit the maximum reduction.

All unions remain opposed to this reform, even softened.

"It remains unfair, anachronistic, incoherent and unbalanced", tweeted Laurent Berger (CFDT).

© 2021 AFP