Prime Minister François Bayrou has sent a framework letter to the social partners aimed at generating annual savings of between €2 and €2,5 billion on unemployment insurance between 2026 and 2029. The reform, which must be negotiated by November 15, provides for a gradual increase to achieve at least €4 billion in savings at cruising speed from 2030.
A tightening of the screws on compensation conditions
The government document recommends modifying the minimum employment duration and the reference period for entitlement to compensation, in order to reduce the maximum benefit period. It also suggests strengthening incentives to return to work, particularly for those benefiting from a mutually agreed termination agreement and seniors. François Bayrou justifies this approach by the need to "work more" and points out that France offers compensation conditions that are higher than the European average.
The unions denounce an attack on the most vulnerable. Denis Gravouil (CGT) castigates a "violent savings plan," while Marylise Léon (CFDT) speaks of "total carnage for job seekers." FO has already filed a strike notice from September 1 to November 30, and a petition against the "Bayrou budget" has collected more than 300 signatures.
This initiative comes less than five months after the entry into force of a previous reform resulting from the agreement concluded in November 2024. If the negotiations fail, the government reserves the right to impose its own rules, as it had already envisaged during the reform suspended in 2024 under Gabriel Attal.
