They come to seek employees over 45 years of age. Dozens of recruiters met this Thursday at the town hall of Versailles (Yvelines), on the occasion of a job forum reserved for experienced profiles. 800 candidates are registered.
Among the stands present, public bodies such as the Yvelines departmental council, large private companies such as Auchan, Naval Group and Cecotec, business creation assistance associations, but also the XpertZon platform and a management firm. of transition. They specialize in finding one-off assignments for high-level executives.
And if they were invited to take part in this edition, it is because the city departments have analyzed the needs of Versailles residents. In the royal city, 31% of job seekers are seniors, a significant proportion which has increased in recent years.
This figure is explained by the fact that they are more numerous to live in certain districts of the municipality where the cost of living is higher, but also by the fact that “large companies are separating from their senior executives”, explains Dominique Roucher de Roux, first deputy mayor (DVD) of Versailles.
150 contracts signed each year
Since taking up her post in 2020, she has been behind the scenes in the overhaul of the employment support policy. Every year, Versailles residents looking for work – the unemployment rate is around 5% – now have the choice between three events to promote recruitment: one for young people and seasonal jobs, another for women (he records the attendance record with 500 people for the October 2022 edition) and that for experienced profiles.
“We see that it works better when we support them in a targeted way, continues the elected official. In neighborhoods with a concentration of social housing, women do not go to the village hall for these events, but some seek employment. We organize ourselves to provide them with answers in the neighborhood centre. »
About 150 contract signings would result from these forums each year. But efforts still need to be made in certain sectors. “Here, employment does not pose any great difficulty, the unemployment rate is rather low, indicates the mayor (DVD) of Versailles, François de Mazières. The downside is that housing is very expensive, a lot of young executives go to the provinces. More and more people come from the West, near Chartres or Dreux to work here. »
Crédit Agricole is recruiting for its Ile-de-France branches
These departures to the provinces in a post health crisis context have affected everyone and all sectors of activity. Currently in Versailles, more than a thousand offers are communicated by the Pôle emploi agency and are struggling to find takers. They mainly concern personal assistance services, trade, mass distribution, business support, but also the rectorate which needs teachers and the field of security, with a view to the 2024 Olympic Games knowing that the royal city will host the equestrian and modern pentathlon events.
In the wake of Covid-19, Crédit Agricole also paid for these departures to the provinces. To replenish its troops, the banking establishment is organizing a recruitment session on March 21 for its agencies in Île-de-France. And it is precisely in Versailles that the job dating will take place.
Cheaper housing to attract
“We know that in this sector, there is a good network of universities and colleges, so it is interesting for us, develops Agnès Prebet, regional director of Versailles for Crédit Agricole IDF. The tension that existed in our Parisian and inner suburbs agencies has spread to the outer suburbs, particularly near Versailles. Distance from home to work is a criterion of attractiveness. »
Allowing employees to work close to home is also the objective of the city’s services. Still, the cost of housing must remain affordable. “It is an issue for the sustainability of employment and the quality of life, concludes the first assistant, Dominique Roucher de Roux. It is difficult to recruit in personal assistance services, in public transport and in local authorities, but recruitment will only happen if there is more social housing. We are working on it internally to try to group skills intelligently. »