The number of unemployed registered with Pôle emploi and without activity (category A) jumped 246,100 in March, to stand at just over 3.7 million. This is a record increase over a month (+ 7.1%), unheard of since the creation of these statistics in 1996.
The Minister of Labor, Muriel Pénicaud, announces that a reflection with the social partners will begin on the rules of unemployment insurance and that the government is doing "everything to avoid layoffs". In total, the workforce in categories A, B, C increased by 3.1% in March (+177,500) but remained stable over the quarter at 5.744 million and down 2.9% over one year.
How do you explain this historic increase in the number of job seekers?
MURIEL PÉNICAUD. The increase is very significant, around 7% of job seekers in category A - therefore those who did not work at all in March. This is a subject on which I am fully mobilized. But there is no massive wave of layoffs in France. Partial unemployment works. In countries that do not have this system, there are inflows of layoffs, such as in the United States, where, in one month, 22 million people lost their jobs. In France, the increase is linked to a sharp drop in hirings due to confinement. Many people do not come out of unemployment: those on short contracts, temporary workers, seasonal workers who in the current context do not find a new job.
What are you going to face this situation?
As in April, we decided to extend the fees in May for people who find themselves at the end of their rights. This concerns several hundred thousand people. Employment will also have to be maintained in companies beyond partial unemployment. We will get down to it. For example, measures will have to be aimed at young people, because every year, starting in September, an influx of young people enters the labor market. They are already worried about financial and ecological debts, they must have prospects for the future. I'll take care of it.
Which sectors are the most difficult?
The non-food trade is affected, of course. The public works building sector is also almost at a standstill with 93% of workers on short-time working. We can also cite catering, hotels, entertainment or events and tourism, which make great use of short-term contracts, seasonal workers. But the breakwater held on to CDI and CDD.
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You say you want to "adapt" the unemployment insurance rules to this exceptional situation. That is to say ?
For now, we have postponed all measures to protect the most vulnerable job seekers. We thus suspended until September the measure of the unemployment insurance reform which reviews the calculation of the allowance for workers alternating short contracts and periods of unemployment, and which was to come into force on April 1. We now know that the economic crisis is deep. My goal is to limit the consequences as much as possible.
Is unemployment insurance reform abandoned?
No. We will discuss with the social partners the consequences of the crisis. We can not decide anything before observing concretely what is happening in the current life of employees, job seekers. Without any a priori.
Should we expect an economic crisis with waves of layoffs?
I am worried about the job. This crisis is not a parenthesis, it will last. But I refuse to make forecasts. Two and a half months ago, we were in a very positive dynamic. We are doing everything to avoid layoffs and we will rely for this on the structural advantages of the dynamics of job creation and jobs that we had before March. We have to regain self-confidence and stick together.
Where are we with partial unemployment?
Today there are 10 million 800,000 workers protected by partial unemployment out of 20 million in the private sector. Six out of 10 employees who benefit from partial unemployment work in companies with less than 50 employees. We have never set up such a massive safety net in France. We are considering a cost of 24 billion euros (billion euros). By way of comparison, during the 2007-2008 crisis, we identified 300,000 short-time workers…
After May 11, will it still be possible to be partially unemployed?
On May 11, the fact that schools are reopening, that transport is resuming will encourage the resumption of activity, but we are not going to cut short-time working. For example, a company with 50 employees may reactivate the contracts of 15 of its employees according to its activity. The following week, it will do so for 15 more employees. The recovery will be gradual and partial unemployment will accompany this recovery. By making it possible to keep skills, since the employment contract has just been suspended, short-time working also makes it possible to favor the resumption of activity.
Many French people wonder about the aftermath. How is going to go back to work?
At the end of March, a quarter of employees were teleworking, or around 5 million. It is essential to continue teleworking as much as possible. The organization of work will necessarily change: unnecessary travel or the number of meetings will be reduced. But the essential condition for resuming activity is the protection and health of employees. I will be intransigent on this subject.
The Ministry of Labor, in conjunction with that of Health, and the social partners, are putting in place guides to good practice to ensure the best health conditions for employees. 42 are already online. For sectors that do not have a guide, we are preparing a deconfinement protocol. In big cities, I encourage employers to shift schedules so that not all employees are forced to take transportation at the same time. There will undoubtedly be a drop in productivity during this period, but the health of employees is my priority…
Will there be labor inspection checks for employees forced to return to the site?
The visits of labor inspectors have never stopped, they will continue. I call on occupational physicians to play more of an advisory role with employees, especially in small businesses.
What about summer vacation?
It is not the government that decides on paid vacation dates. This reflection will take place company by company with the social partners. Solutions on the ground will be found on a case-by-case basis.