To promote the return to work of seniors, those who are unemployed and find a job less well paid than the previous one could continue to receive part of their allowance, suggests the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, in
an interview with the Journal of Sunday
.
The low employment rate of seniors is often brandished as an argument against the government's pension reform, which plans to raise the retirement age to 64 and then 65 by 2031 to ensure the financial balance of the system.
Read alsoWhy Bercy is counting on sharp salary increases in 2023
For the Minister, France's poor results compared to its neighbors can be explained in part because “
our economic system does not have a culture of employment for seniors
”.
He also points to "
devices which can be perceived as encouragement, for employers, to separate themselves from seniors
", such as "
the maximum duration of unemployment compensation, which, from the age of 55, goes from 24 to 36 month
”.
Compensate for the shortfall
To promote the return to work of those over 55, “
one of the avenues could be to allow a senior who accepts a less well-paid job to keep part of his unemployment benefit in order to compensate for the loss of earnings.
We will be able to work
on it ”, indicates Olivier Dussopt, who
also wishes “to promote gradual retirement and combined employment with retirement
”.
"
The creation of a professional employment index for seniors, on the model of that for gender equality, will be part of the discussions
" that the minister, who is leading the reform of pensions and that of health insurance unemployment, will have with the social partners in the coming weeks.
It also mentions “
incentive mechanisms, for example in the form of exemptions from social
security contributions ” for companies.
But for him "
the best way to keep seniors in employment remains to improve working conditions and fight against the consequences of professional wear and tear
", themes which will also be on the menu of consultations with the unions and the employers.
Read alsoUnemployment insurance: the mixed results and to be confirmed of the 2019 reform
On the question of raising the legal age, which all the unions oppose, "
this will be to be agreed, but we must raise the average age of departure
", he insists, while considering "
introduce a review clause
", which "
can be a way of taking a date in the future to take
stock ".