A new bitter potion for unemployed? Since 2017 and the arrival of Emmanuel Macron to Elysée, the unemployment insurance compensation rules have hardened several times and the last reform entered into practice last April.
However, the government considers that it is not enough. Prime Minister François Bayrou will offer social partners to open negotiations on unemployment insurance and labor law in particular to “facilitate recruitment” and increase job offers.
But, in fact, they are the affiliation parameters (the number of months worked to access an allocation) and compensation that the government wants to modify again.
“We will invite social partners to review unemployment insurance (…) about the duration of affiliation where we have a system that is more generous than Germany, than Spain, than Portugal, about the duration of compensation and also see the question of conventional ruptures because today there are abuses,” explains Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, responsible minister of labor and employment.
While the conditions have been repeatedly hardened in France, is the minister the right to affirm that France is more generous than its neighbors?
Rules in France
- Affiliation duration: 8 months in the last 20 months
- Compensation time: 6 to 15 months, except for employees over 55 years (up to 22 months) and those over 57 (up to 27 months).
Rules in Germany
- Affiliation duration: 12 months in the last 30 months
- Compensation time: 6 to 12 months (up to 24 months for older people)
Rules in Spain
- Affiliation duration: 12 months for 72 months (6 years)
- Compensation time: 4 to 23.6 months
Rules in Portugal
- Affiliation duration: 12 months in the last 24 months
- Compensation time: 5 to 18 months
More generous conditions?
In the duration of affiliation, conditions in France are really more generous than Spain, but the period taken into account is much shorter: 20 months against 72.
Also in Germany, it must have worked more to claim an allocation, but again the reference period is 10 months longer.
France is also more generous than Portugal, since you have to have worked for a year, but during a slightly longer reference period.
However, other countries are much stricter, such as Sweden and the Netherlands. In the first, it is necessary to justify six months of work in the last twelve, in the second, it is worse, you must have work six months of the last nine to receive compensation.
In terms of compensation, the previous reforms in France bring us closer to the European average.
France is more generous than Germany but less than Italy, than the Netherlands or Spain (up to 24 months) or Belgium (48 months).
Source: BFM TV
