Coronavirus: interim resumes (a little) after collapsing

"We are seeing the beginning of a recovery," says Christophe Catoir, CEO of Adecco, leader in interim recruitment in France. Usually heralding a resumption of growth, could the temporary work market rise from the ashes with the gradual lifting, from May 11, of confinement everywhere in France? Construction and industry: these are the two sectors of the economy where activity is expected to rebound slowly from Monday and therefore start to use temporary workers. "The recovery will be limited and gradual until the end of June," tempers Alain Roumilhac, CEO of Manpower, another major player in the sector.

Because the temporary work agency has just experienced a dizzying fall in our country, reaching a drastic drop in activity of around -60 to -70%. "In two days, on March 16, everything collapsed," recalls Alain Roumilhac who notes: "activity has completely stopped in our country, unlike other countries like Germany". This is confirmed by the figures from Pôle Emploi. The public employment agency mentions in March and April a drop in the range of 65% to -70% of job offers filed compared to the same period in 2019. And professionals in the sector are hardly enthusiastic.

"The resumption to full this summer will not take place even if the month of August should be a little more dynamic than usual", assures Christophe Catoir. “At best, in certain sectors, we will find a cruising speed in September, adds Alain Roumilhac. This summer, we will examine the market week after week. It is currently very difficult to project oneself. "

Strong demand in supermarkets

The winners of this period are temp agencies that operate 100% on digital. The Qapa or Gojob platforms, for example, claim that their activity is almost maintained and even display new customers, such as retail chains. "In mass distribution or logistics, needs have exploded, we can speak of a 50% increase in recruitments," says Stéphanie Delestre, CEO of Qapa, who claims to have recruited "more than 800 temporary workers of 5 days ”for the Franprix brand, faced during confinement with high absenteeism.

Same story with another actor of the digital interim Gojob who posted a drop in his activity of 50 to 60% the first weeks of confinement before stabilizing this drop around 10% compared to the same period the year last.

These two players have seen a new type of candidate appear on their platform in search of temporary work assignments: young people under 25, sometimes self-employed or students looking for activity. "Many have signed up to take care of or help their parents who found themselves in great financial difficulty," says Stéphanie Delestre at Qapa. “Young people under the age of 25 have often not received any state aid and are not yet entitled to the RSA. Many people found themselves in great difficulty ”, also underlines Pascal Lorne, the CEO of Gojob.