Right to unemployment: is France more generous than its European neighbors?

Towards a tightening of unemployment rights? Prime Minister Gabriel Attal explained Wednesday evening, during an interview on TF 1, different avenues under study to modify access and conditions of unemployment benefit In France. Among them, the reduction in the maximum compensation period. “Today you can receive unemployment benefits for up to 18 months, which is more than in many countries,” he said.

But if we want to compare the French situation, even if only with our European neighbors, the calculation is complex. “Each country has its own system, its own coherence”, according to Didier Demazière, researcher at the CNRS, working on the sociology of work, “it depends on the comparison criteria used”.

“The most severe conditions are in the United Kingdom”

Gabriel Attal presented three: the maximum duration of compensation, the conditions for obtaining unemployment and the amount of contributions. For the first, with 6 to 18 months of maximum compensation at the moment, France is rather in the high average. In Europe, this duration is higher in certain countries: up to 24 months in Italy or the Netherlands. “The most severe conditions are in the United Kingdom, with around 180 days of maximum compensation,” underlines Didier Demazière.

But this figure must be put into perspective with other criteria. Thus in Italy, it only takes three months worked over the last four years – compared to six months over two years in France – to receive unemployment benefit. But these three months only give rights for one and a half months. To obtain the maximum 24 months, you must therefore have been employed… four years. And to Netherlands, from a certain thresholdyou have to work a full year to obtain one month of compensation.

In this sense, “in terms of eligibility and duration of compensation, France is still at the very top” of the ranking, specifies Bertrand Martinot, expert associated with the Montaigne Institute, specialist in the labor market.

“One of the most advantageous countries, Denmark”

It is also necessary to highlight the amount of compensation received, more or less high depending on the country, and more or less decreasing over time. France is within the European average, with 57% of the daily reference wage and a reduction in the 7th month of compensation for some. In Italy, the recipient starts with 75% of the reference salary, but then loses 3% each month from the 6th month, details Unédic (National Interprofessional Union for Employment).

On this subject, “one of the most advantageous countries is Denmark, with 90% of the reference salary”, underlines Didier Demazière. The ceiling is still 2,564 euros per month. While in Switzerland, “the beneficiary receives 70% of their reference salary within the limit of a ceiling of 8,817 euros”, writes Unedic.

The United Kingdom is, once again in the low range, with a flat rate. Whatever your salary before, everyone receives the same thing: 76 euros per week for those under 25, 95 euros beyond. “But other help is added,” explains Bertrand Martinot.

To add to the complexity, all this data must be modulated with national specificities, which can give certain advantages. Thus in France, the benefit period is for example longer for the oldest : up to 22.5 months after age 53, up to 27 months after age 55. In Sweden, the duration of compensation is 300 days, and can go up to 450 for a person with dependent children.

“A long allowance with a low allowance or the opposite? »

By tightening unemployment rules, Gabriel Attal explains that he wants to “move a system to further encourage people to return to work. But it remains difficult today to know how the tightening, or relaxation, of access to these benefits can influence the return to employment.

THE France’s unemployment rate currently stands at over 7%, above the European average of 6%. But if the United Kingdom is around 4% and Germany around 3%, short and precarious contracts are much more numerous there. “It must not be too drastic, otherwise people will find themselves in a mess, with unstable jobs,” explains Bertrand Martinot.

Among all the levers available, we must succeed in finding a balance to sufficiently protect unemployed people while encouraging a return to activity, explains the specialist, who asks: “What is is better? A long allowance with a low allowance or the opposite? You have to try to find the optimum. »