Words that will not fall on deaf ears. The president of Medef, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux estimated on Sunday that some companies would have to go further in salary increases due to inflation which remains high, but also because of recruitment difficulties.
“I think wages will increase in large companies, not very far from inflation, and in small ones perhaps a little below”, declared the spokesperson for employers during the “Grand Rendez-vous” Europe 1/Cnews/The echoeswhen the mandatory annual negotiations are in full swing.
Tensions in business
Responding to the question of whether certain companies were not going to be forced to go further in wage increases in the light of persistent inflation, he considered that this would be the case for “some”, in particular because they have “difficulty recruiting”.
In the private sector, he notes “non-confrontational, but real tensions” on wages in a context of loss of purchasing power due to inflation which, according to him, “also explains part of the demonstrations” against a backdrop of pension reform project in France.
Inflation of 6% over one year
“We are experiencing the inversion of the curve” in the labor market, where the balance of power changes in favor of employees, but “not in all trades or all geographies”, he explained. . However, “there are trades that are not paid enough because the margins of companies are insufficient”, notes the manager who was skeptical about the easing of inflation.
The rise in consumer prices in France stood at 6% in January over one year, fueled by the rise in energy and food prices which penalizes purchasing power, according to the National Institute statistics (INSEE).