At this stage, unemployment insurance accounts continue to recover, despite the sudden cooling in growth. In 2022, the scheme should generate a surplus of 2.5 billion euros, according to financial forecasts published on Wednesday June 8 by Unédic, the association led by the social partners which manages the claimant compensation system. employment. The return to better fortune is “confirmed”, said Patricia Ferrand, the president (CFDT) of the device, during a press conference. But this statement is made with caution, due – in particular – to the war in Ukraine, which is fueling great uncertainty about the economic situation.
The current improvement follows two terrible years, during which the scheme recorded exceptional deficits, in connection with the health crisis: – 17.4 billion euros in 2020 and – 9.3 billion euros in 2021 These colossal losses have damaged finances that were already very degraded before the start of the Covid-19 epidemic. At the end of 2021, Unédic’s debt widened, reaching 63.6 billion. However, by December 2024, part of the hole could be filled, to the tune of almost 10 billion: according to Mme Ferrand, two thirds of these savings would result from the reform of unemployment insurance, which has tightened the rules of compensation for job seekers.
Emergency measures from March 2020
“The debt is extremely important”commented Jean-Eudes Tesson, vice-president (Medef), but, according to him, it is necessary to “dissociate” that which is attributable to “emergency measures” taken from March 2020 by the State, by involving Unédic (partial unemployment, etc.). The amounts involved are far from negligible: 19.2 billion euros. How and by whom will they be reimbursed? Unions and employers want the issue to be raised with the government.
Another file occupies all the spirits: the opening of a negotiation between social partners to work out a new convention which will redefine the parameters of the mode. At present, these are fixed in a decree whose provisions apply until the beginning of November. However, it is not certain that the employers’ and employees’ organizations will be able to complete a text by then, especially since they must first receive a “framework document” of Matignon before engaging in discussions. Wednesday, Christophe Valentie, the director general of Unédic, declared that the hypothesis of an extension of the decree was not excluded.