To justify a new project on the duration of affiliation and compensation, the Minister of Labor highlights the more strict rules in force among some of our neighbors. Is she right?
A new bitter potion for the unemployed? Since 2017 and Emmanuel Macron’s arrival at the Elysée, the unemployment insurance compensation rules have been harden several times and the last reform came into practice last April.
However, the government considers that it is not enough. Prime Minister François Bayrou will offer the social partners to open negotiations on unemployment insurance and labor law in particular to “facilitate recruitments” and increase job offers.
But it is indeed the affiliation parameters (the number of months worked to access an allowance) and compensation that the government wants to modify again.
“We will invite the social partners to review unemployment insurance (…) on the duration of affiliation where we have a system which is more generous than Germany, than Spain, than Portugal, on the duration of compensation and see also the question of conventional ruptures because there are today abuses”, explains this Wednesday Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, Minister responsible for Labor and Employment.
While the conditions have repeatedly hardened in France, is the minister right to affirm that France is more generous than its neighbors?
Rules in France
- Duration of affiliation: 8 months over the last 20 months
- Compensation time: 6 to 15 months except for employees over 55 years old (up to 22 months) and those over 57 years old (up to 27 months).
Rules in Germany
- Duration of affiliation: 12 months over the last 30 months
- Compensation time: 6 to 12 months (up to 24 months for seniors)
Rules in Spain
- Duration of affiliation: 12 months over 72 months (6 years)
- Compensation time: 4 to 23.6 months
Rules in Portugal
- Duration of affiliation: 12 months over the last 24 months
- Compensation time: 5 to 18 months
More generous conditions?
On the duration of affiliation, the conditions in France are indeed more generous than Spain but the period taken into account is much shorter: 20 months against 72.
In Germany too, you must have worked more to claim an allowance 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 over a slightly longer reference period.
However, other countries are much more strict such as Sweden and the Netherlands. In the first, it is necessary to justify six months of work over 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).