Internships, student or seasonal jobs: the government has promised, the pension reform should better take into account early career experiences in calculating pensions.
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Invited this morning to France Inter, the new Minister of Health Olivier Véran defended this commitment, drawing on his personal experience: " I, for example, I have done a lot of jobs since the age of 18, since I didn't really start working until I was 24. Everything I did as odd jobs - working in town hall, working in nursing homes, working in the markets - did not count in the calculation of my retirement. All this is lost as if I hadn't worked, and I must now retire at 67 ”.
According to the Minister, the short jobs he did in parallel with his studies would not give any rights under the current system. However, it does count them well in the final calculation, as soon as they meet certain conditions. explanations
The current system takes into account the first professional experiences
- The case of student and seasonal jobs
Currently, any employee, as long as he works, contributes to the pension system. The opening of rights to a retirement quarter in the basic plan is not automatic: it is calculated on the basis of an amount of remuneration. Thus, until 2015, to qualify for a quarter of retirement, you had to collect the equivalent of 200 hours paid at minimum wage.
As of 2015, this threshold was lowered: we can now validate a semester by earning the equivalent of 150 hours paid at minimum wage. In 2020, you must therefore receive at least 1,522.50 euros in the year to qualify for a semester of retirement. " Today, with a month at full time minimum wage, we validate rights, " says Jérôme Garcia, expert for France Retraite.
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Thus, any student can validate retirement quarters as soon as their income exceeds the threshold. In the case of Olivier Véran, it is quite possible that the jobs he was able to hold did not entitle him to a quarter due to too low wages.
However, in the calculations made by the complementary staff, the level of remuneration is not taken into account. " At the complementary level, Olivier Véran has necessarily accumulated points , says Jérôme Garcia, because they are validated whatever the remuneration ".
It is therefore only in cases where the worker has occupied an undeclared job which does not give entitlement. Another scenario: the hours worked were not counted and the contributor did not keep a document (pay slip, supporting documents ...) proving that he contributed.
- The case of internships
With regard to internships, there are three scenarios. The first is the unpaid internship: he does not have any right to retirement and is therefore lost.
Regarding compensated internships (between € 498.75 and € 603.75 per month), the employer does not pay a contribution, they also do not open rights but the intern can choose to buy back quarters.
Finally, the paid internship - beyond 603.75 euros - is subject to contributions and therefore gives rise to pension rights. Two months of internship can thus make it possible to obtain a quarter.
- The case of studies
Years of study do not currently entitle you to a pension, but it is for students to buy back quarters of higher education if they are validated by a diploma or followed by other training.
What will the pension reform change?
- Before 2025
Several cases should be distinguished with regard to the impact of the pension reform on student jobs or internships. The age of the contributor is crucial.
For people born before 1975, nothing should change, in the current state of the texts; they are in no way affected by the pension reform. Their retirement age as well as the amount of their pension will be calculated according to the rules of the current regime.
For people born after 1975, another factor comes into play. The reform will only affect the hours contributed from January 1, 2025, still as the bill stands. For people who are born after 1975 and have held jobs before that date, the hours worked will follow the rules of the current pension scheme. From 2025, however, they will contribute according to the new rules desired by the reform. In the future universal scheme, the total amount of contributions, for any job and whatever its duration, will therefore be converted into pensionable points.
Let us return to the case of the Minister of Health. Olivier Véran is a young minister: he was born in 1980 and as such, he will be affected by the pension reform. However, for him as for all those who worked before 2025, hours of work will be counted according to the old method of calculation. No change to be expected, therefore, in taking into account the “odd jobs” of the Minister for his retirement.
- For people who will have internships and odd jobs after 2025
So there remain the French who have never worked, and will obtain internships and seasonal jobs from 2025: the pension reform will apply fully for them, and all their rights will be calculated according to the new formula. For policyholders born after 2003, this date is brought forward to January 1, 2022.
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However, areas of vagueness persist. The government's bill indicates that “ solidarity points may be awarded to young people, in addition to the contribution points they have acquired [...], so as to guarantee them a minimum of pension rights from the start of their professional journey ”. Among these professional experiences, internships. The number of points that will be awarded in the universal system and their amount is however not specified at this stage. These elements will be "specified by decree," says the cabinet of the High Commissioner for Pensions Laurent Pietraszewski.
In short, the first professional experiences are already taken into account by the current retirement system. But the reform desired by the government could simplify the process: “ with the new reform, concludes Jérôme Garcia , these periods will normally be systematically and fully taken into account. The ordinances that will appear after the vote will certainly tell us more . ”
