Conventional terminations, duration of compensation, access conditions... The government's ways to save money on unemployment insurance

Barely had the latest rules come into force than the government relaunched an explosive project: a new reform of unemployment insurance.

The stated objective? Reduce the public deficit, streamline the labor market... and save money. But in the face of union backlash and a system already under strain, the debate promises to be heated.

Reform again, despite a recent agreement

The agreement signed in November 2024 was supposed to govern the system for four years. However, François Bayrou announced the opening of two negotiations: on unemployment insurance and on labor law.

A turnaround that is not going down well: "We are being asked to re-discuss even though the agreement has not been fully implemented," says Frédéric Souillot (FO).

Conventional breaks in the sights

The main target: mutually agreed terminations. In 2024, more than 514,000 were signed. Labor Minister Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet points to "abuses ": disguised dismissals, disguised resignations, or failure to seek employment.

It envisages a tightening of compensation conditions and an extension of waiting periods.

Save money… at all costs?

The budgetary framework is clear: €43.8 billion in savings must be found by 2026. Unemployment insurance, which cost €10 billion just for conventional terminations, is targeted.

The CFDT denounces "unshared efforts" and a budgetary logic masked by efficiency objectives. The government, for its part, insists on the need for a "less generous" and more "incentive" system.

But the figures qualify this statement: the unemployed receive an average of €1,093 net per month, or 52% of the median salary.

Fewer than one in two job seekers receives benefits. And those in the most precarious situations are often excluded: young people, women, and workers on short-term or intermittent contracts.

A social or accounting reform?

Behind the promises of streamlining, unions and observers fear an economic reform at the expense of the most vulnerable.

Among the options: monetization of the fifth week of vacation, promotion of atypical permanent contracts, reduction of appeal deadlines.

To be convincing, the reform will have to prove that it is more than just a disguised austerity plan. But faced with rebellious unions and a wary public, the task is proving tricky.