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Employment: faced with Covid-19, the fear of an explosion in unemployment among seniors

2021-02-24T05:19:28.638Z


Many economic players are warning about the risk that employees over the age of 50 will pay a heavy price for the economic crisis


To paraphrase a recent presidential speech, we could say that it is hard to be over 50, in France, in 2021. Already affected by the Covid-19 crisis, seniors could soon also be on another plan, that of employment.

In early February, INSEE announced that 360,500 jobs had been destroyed in the private sector in France in 2020, a drop of 1.8% which comes after five consecutive years of increase.

Many experts are sounding the alarm bells.

They call on the government to take into account, in addition to young people, another category of assets, employees at the end of their careers, aged over 50 or 55, whose employment rate could also decrease as restructuring. and plans for voluntary departures are increasing.

This situation is all the more worrying as France, traditionally lagging behind the OECD countries in this area, had succeeded, in recent years, in reversing the trend and increasing the employment rate of older workers.

A senior plan with aids like for young people

“We consider that seniors will be more exposed to unemployment in the coming period,” underlines Benoît Serre, director of human resources and vice-president of ANDRH (National Association of Human Resources Directors).

For his part, Gilles Gateau, the director general of Apec (Association for the employment of executives) insists on the need to be "very careful that France does not experience a regression on the subject".

“On the business side, the temptation can be very strong to offer early departure measures,” he warns.

The ANDRH is notably in favor of "a senior plan at the level of the youth plan" with the extension to seniors and long-term unemployed of the hiring aid already existing for 18-25 year olds.

What do those first concerned say?

“In this anxiety-provoking context, the fear of dismissal is increasing, in particular among the youngest and the elderly,” notes Apec in its barometer of recruitment and mobility intentions for executives made public in early February.

Senior executives are very worried about their professional situation: 84% considered that finding a job equivalent to the one they hold today would be difficult, also notes the Apec.

Collective contractual breaks could facilitate departures

In recent months, many large groups, such as Renault, Safran, Michelin or even ADP have already encouraged their elderly employees to take early retirement to reduce their payroll.

Devices based on employee volunteering and which are often activated through collective contractual termination (RCC), a tool created by the Macron ordinances of 2017. As a reminder, this device allows the company, by collective agreement, to suppress positions without any dismissal or economic reasons.

“One of the fears of unions is that this device is used to remove seniors.

For the company, it is less costly than job saving plans.

The conditions are negotiated, which can therefore facilitate the implementation of departure plans, ”underlines Christine Erhel, economist at Cnam, specialist in the job market.

However, if we stick to the official figures, people over 50 do not seem for the moment more affected than others by unemployment: their number in category A increased in 2020 by 7% when , at the same time, the number of job seekers increased overall by 8%.

Older jobseekers stay unemployed longer

But these figures could change in the coming months.

"We must not minimize the phenomenon of renunciation that currently affects job seekers, said Gilles de la Barre, president of the association Solidarités nouvelles face au unemployment (SNC).

In recent months, they have the impression that the job market is blocked and no longer register.

But once they get into the statistics, those over 50 have a much above average enrollment period.

"

Another factor, their remuneration, often higher, which exposes them more.

“It's recurring: when a company is looking to restructure, it looks at the most expensive positions.

However, it is the oldest employees who are expensive, also notes Olivier Mériaux, director of studies at the firm Plein sens and co-author, in 2019, of a report on the employment of seniors.

Before warning: "By wanting to find quick answers to a difficult situation, companies risk losing invisible and precious skills."

Source: leparis

All business articles on 2021-02-24

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