Unheard of in 11 years of existence.
The number of households receiving Active Solidarity Income (RSA) would have exceeded the threshold of two million, according to the latest report published by the National Family Allowance Fund (Cnaf) and highlighted by
Les Échos on
Friday.
While in June the Cnaf already counted 1.99 million beneficiaries, new estimates show an increase in this figure between June and September.
The increase in the number of beneficiaries was moreover continuous between March and August, then stabilized "
at a high level
" since.
Soaring number of RSA CNAF beneficiaries
Not surprisingly, the Covid crisis is responsible for this phenomenon.
"
If the health crisis had not occurred, the number of RSA beneficiaries would have remained almost stable during the first three quarters of 2020
", deplores the Cnaf.
According to his estimates, in August and September, the gap between the current situation and the “
counterfactual situation
” (without the crisis) is 8.5%.
Fewer exits
The increase in the number of beneficiaries is explained above all by the measures to maintain rights which, during the first confinement, limited the number of exits from the device compared to last year.
"
Beneficiaries who did not provide their quarterly declaration of resources on time saw their rights extended, the beneficiaries suspended from their rights following checks were restored in their rights, and finally, the checks could not take place
", recalls the Cnaf.
Read also: No, the RSA does not exceed the minimum wage ... even with the exceptional Covid-19 bonus
On the other hand, since June, it is the "
deterioration of the economic situation (in particular the reduced employment opportunities)
" which explains the evolution of the number of beneficiary households, explains the Cnaf.
Those who should have left the system thanks to an improvement in their resources could not.
This represents 110,000 households.
Similarly, some 20,000 beneficiaries, who were no longer beneficiaries of the RSA the previous quarter, returned to it in the third quarter.
Strong departmental disparities
The largest increases in the number of RSA beneficiaries are not found where the first wave of Covid was strongest, such as northeastern France.
They are found where economic activity was strong before the crisis and where the rate of beneficiary households was lower, as in Île-de-France.
The increase in households receiving RSA is not homogeneous according to the CNAF departments
In addition, “
departments which traditionally have significant tourist activity during the summer period must have probably, because of sanitary conditions, experienced a reduction in this activity,
” notes the Cnav.
"
For these departments, this reduction in economic activity has resulted in a higher increase in the rate of households receiving RSA than what is observed at the national level
".
As in the West or in the South of the Hexagon.
Towards an increase in precariousness
This surge in the number of beneficiaries worries the departments responsible for it.
Several of them are asking the State to regain control of this expenditure.
An experiment will be carried out in this direction in Seine-Saint-Denis from 2022.
To read also: "Renationalize" the RSA: faced with the crisis, the departments appeal to the State
The situation for the finances of the departments is all the more worrying as the number of people propelled into precariousness by this health crisis is likely to increase in the coming months.
Between young people faced with a devastated labor market and social plans that have not yet produced their effects, the situation promises to be dramatic.
France, which had 9.3 million poor in 2018 according to the latest official figures, should have an additional million because of the crisis, according to several associations.
Despite these data, Emmanuel Macron refuses to increase social minima.
“
Our fundamentals are the fight against poverty by returning to activity and work.
And the more we unilaterally increase all our social minimums, the more difficult it is to return to activity.
This is what we found, ”
he explained in a television interview on October 14
.