Bruno Le Maire proposes a reduction in the duration of compensation for seniors

2023-11-23 11:26:28

This is an announcement that could ignite the powder. At the microphone of the France Info morning show on Thursday, November 23, Bruno Le Maire said he was in favor of aligning the duration of unemployment compensation for people over 55 with that of younger job seekers. Instead of a maximum duration of twenty-seven months, seniors would receive unemployment for a maximum of eighteen months in order to avoid, according to him, them « retire early ».

The proposal from the Minister of the Economy comes just two weeks after the signing of a national inter-professional agreement (ANI) of the social partners on unemployment insurance, where unions fought to preserve the rights of job seekers. On Monday, November 20, negotiations began on the employment of seniors between employers’ and trade union organizations to identify means which will make it possible to reduce the unemployment rate of those over 55.

One in two French seniors in employment

And for good reason: the employment rate of French seniors (55-64 years old) is one of the lowest in Europe. It reaches 56%, compared to 60.5% for the European average, and falls to 36% among 60-64 year olds, twelve points below the euro zone average.

After the forceful passage of the pension reform and the increase in the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years, both Matignon and Bercy say they are making the maintenance and return to employment of these employees their priority. An essential improvement to achieve their ambition: an unemployment rate of less than or equal to 5% by the end of the five-year term.

Many measures will be on the negotiating table between social partners (senior indexes, senior permanent contracts, retraining, etc.) to encourage companies to retain or better guide their employees at the end of their careers.

For the Minister of the Economy, all means seem good, even to the point of reducing the duration of compensation.” When you have (right to) 27 months (of) unemployment, you are told: “Retire peacefully, we no longer need you”, he justified. If a person over 55 does not have physical difficulties or musculoskeletal disorders and has not had a difficult job, we need them. »

Bercy wants to tighten compensation rules

The idea of ​​toughening the rules for those over 55 is not new. During negotiations on unemployment insurance, Bercy had already advocated for shifting the ages of access to certain schemes (including the extension of the duration of unemployment from age 55), to agree to the postponement of the legal age retirement from 62 to 64 years old. A measure rather supported by employers, formally rejected by the unions, and which was ultimately excluded from the National Interprofessional Agreement.

Among unions, the idea of ​​penalizing senior job seekers has the gift of arousing annoyance. «This reinforces the false theory according to which people over 55 no longer want to workregrets Olivier Guivarch, national secretary of the CFDT. If there are specific rules for unemployment among seniors, it is because they are unable to find a job. »

“On average, a senior remains unemployed for 805 days, compared to 370 days for other job seekersestimates the CFDT representative. In France, means have been put in place to encourage these early departures, for example the voluntary departure plan. This logic can no longer continue, and all social partners are aware of this. »

Put pressure on negotiations between social partners

Even as the social partners prepare their next negotiations on the employment of seniors, after the sending of the orientation document by the government on Monday November 20, the intervention of Bruno Le Maire is also perceived as yet another attempt to make pressure on discussions between employers and unions.

???? Employment of seniors: should we penalize companies that don’t hire enough of them? ➡️ “We can always penalize companies more, but if we want to develop the activity, it seems good to me to support them”, believes Bruno Le Maire. #8h30franceinfopic.twitter.com/fq8dq19KYt

— franceinfo (@franceinfo) November 23, 2023

“As far as I know, Mr. Le Maire is not Minister of Labor”concludes Olivier Guivarch. “For us negotiators, only the orientation document sent Tuesday evening by the (Ministry of Labour) “raises the debate”insists Cyril Chabanier, president of the CFTC, on X. Enough to remind Bruno Le Maire that he is not invited around the negotiating table.