Posted Oct 28, 2022, 3:01 PMUpdated Oct 28, 2022, 4:02 PM
The amount is not yet completely arbitrated but it is the one that the Ministry of Labor seems to favor. The premium for hiring apprentices could increase to 6,000 euros from 1is January 2023, against 5,000 euros for minors and 8,000 beyond the age of 18 currently, we learned from concordant sources. The objective pursued is threefold: to reduce the bill for public finances, to give a boost to the first levels of diplomas (bac or below) and to curb the windfall effects on those of higher education.
Contacted, the services of the Minister of Vocational Education and Training, Carole Grandjean, indicate that the consultations with the social partners have not been completed, no decision has been taken at this stage. “As we announced, we support the need for a bonus that can be seen by everyone and which continues to fully support learning, in line with the objective of 1 million contracts per year by the end of the five-year term. “said a spokeswoman.
Objective: one million contracts per year
Since the Pénicaud reform of 2018 which liberalized access, apprenticeship has experienced considerable growth. The number of young people who have embarked on this path, which combines general education in a training center and practice in a company, has increased from 321,000 that year to 732,000 in 2021, according to the Ministry of Labor.
Even if the pace of progress is slowing, the 800,000 mark will be crossed this year, recently assured the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt, to whom Elisabeth Borne, who preceded him in this post, has set the objective of reaching 1 million when they handed over power at the end of May.
Before the Covid, there was a hiring bonus, called “single aid” because it had merged the four previous ones. Entry into force on 1is January 2019, it was limited to companies with 250 employees and baccalaureate or infra diplomas, up to 4,125 euros the first year of study, 2,000 the second and 1,200 the third.
In the summer of 2000, the government of Edouard Philippe, fearing that the pandemic could be fatal to young people, increased the amount of the first year to 5,000 or 8,000 euros depending on the age of the apprentice, whatever the level. diploma and numbers.
After being extended several times, this bonus ends on December 31. In a recent report, the Court of Auditors criticized its windfall effects because many young apprentices were hired in higher education without financial aid. “It is particularly important that the national work-study strategy ensures the efficiency of public spending by prioritizing situations where learning brings real added value,” she stressed.
In fact, the very strong growth in the number of apprenticeship contracts since 2018 has been driven by that of BTS levels up to bac+5, even if the reform has also resulted in a resumption of lower levels (all reinforced by switching from professionalization contracts to the other way of work-study training).
Sustainable over time?
The single target of 6,000 euros referred to is therefore supposed to correct the situation. This amounts to increasing the bonus of 1,000 euros for minors compared to the current situation, and therefore to encouraging the hiring of apprentices in CAP or vocational baccalaureate, which is moreover in sectors in tension like those of industry. or construction. Conversely, the reduction of 2,000 euros for adults lessens the attractiveness of hiring higher education apprentices. In both cases, the situation remains more favorable than before the Covid.
“That is what is looming. Even if Bercy finds it still too expensive, Matignon and the Elysée should not oppose it, ”said a source familiar with the matter. On the side of the Syntec federation of digital, engineering, consulting, events and professional training – a major provider of apprenticeship contracts in higher education – we are doing against bad luck with a good heart. If the drop of 2,000 euros is confirmed, “it should be the only one and that the government guarantee companies a stability of the device over the five-year period and that the principle of universality remains without distinction of size or level”, estimates its President, Laurent Giovachini.
It remains to be seen whether or not the government will maintain aid for the 2e et 3e years but, above all, if this is tenable over time given the objective of 1 million contracts per year by the end of the five-year term. As a reminder, the draft budget for 2023 has provided 3.5 billion payment appropriations for aid in hiring apprentices.