Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credits: XOSE BOUZAS / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 11:24 a.m., March 6, 2024

In an interview with "Le Monde", this Wednesday March 6, the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, declared "that a reform of unemployment insurance is necessary to achieve full employment", reaffirming the desire of the government to toughen rights in this area.

The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire pleaded on Wednesday for a “definitive” takeover by the State of unemployment insurance, for which a new reform is envisaged by the government in order to further tighten rights.

“It is essential to continue structural reforms. A reform of unemployment insurance is necessary to achieve full employment, the Prime Minister is right to point this out,” declared the minister in an interview with the daily Le Monde.

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Government seminar “dedicated to the question of work”

For three months, the government has demonstrated its desire to further tighten unemployment insurance rights, after two controversial reforms in this direction in 2019 and 2023. Gabriel Attal declared a few days ago that he would bring together "at mid -March" a government seminar "dedicated to the question of work" to notably "prepare the major decisions" to be taken in this area.

"We maintain the longest duration of compensation among developed countries: eighteen months. The responsibility of the social partners is the employees. The responsibility of the State is all those who are unemployed. For my "On the other hand, I consider that the State should regain control of unemployment insurance definitively", declares Bruno Le Maire.

The unemployment insurance system is currently managed by Unédic, a joint organization.

The social partners renegotiate the rules every 2 to 3 years to take into account changes in the labor market, these rules being formalized in an agreement that the State validates.

But since 2018, their room for maneuver has been restricted, because the government sends them a “framework letter” in advance which sets objectives (notably savings) to achieve.

Without an agreement, the State takes back control with a “deficiency decree”.