three poor workers talk about a difficult daily life despite employment

They work in maintenance, care, personal assistance, commerce, industry. Precariousness, split hours, part-time work: in France, more than a million people live below the poverty line even though they have a job. Three of them agreed to testify.

The sun has not yet risen over the towers of northern Amiens, but Valérie Debrie is already ready to go to work. Three times a week, she gets up at five o'clock to go clean in one of the two companies where she works. She takes a first bus, then a second at the station, a 45-minute drive, then she walks half an hour to reach the premises she has to clean.

“We are used to it, we have to do this to earn our bread“, Valérie resigns herself. She is on a part-time fixed-term contract, 20 hours per week. Paid at the minimum wage, she therefore earns a salary of €960 per month. That is, between €150 and €200 left to live, once the rent and utilities paid With this, she raises her two youngest children.

Valérie Debrie is one of the working poor. The Observatory of Inequalities defines them as those who earn less than 50% of the median salary, or less than €1,000 per month. In 2022, there were 1.1 million. Oxfam, for its part, speaks of 2 million poor workers, because the association uses the INSEE poverty rate, that is to say less than 60% of the median salary. Behind these figures, more and more men and women.

“Now we take the job and we don't do any better“

Working, for Valérie Debrie, means above all avoiding loneliness. “I can't see myself staying at home, it's impossible, when I go to work, I see people, it's not the same life“, she summarizes. She enjoys the contact with the employees of the company where she cleans. But she also talks about the difficulty of this daily life. “It's hard because I'm alone with two children, one of whom has health problems. Once the bills are paid, there's not much left. If I don't succeed, my big daughter helps me out.“

Valérie Debrie is not directly employed by the structures where she works, but by Ozange, a personal services company which offers integration through work. “There is a lot of courage and investment, despite difficult jobs and things to manage elsewhere.greets Isabelle Castex, professional integration advisor in Ozange. It's something that I see on a daily basis, even though it's not fairly compensated.“

The number of working poor has increased slightly but steadily in France since 2013. In nine years, until 2022, an additional 200,000 people have fallen below the poverty line despite their employment. The director of Ozange notes this at the local level: the virtuous circle of employment leading to an improvement in daily life no longer works.

“Today, we clearly feel that this virtuous circle no longer works. It's frustrating not being able to tell someone 'work, you'll be better off'. This is not necessarily the casenotes Sophie Poirot, director of Ozange Amiens. Before, we went back to work, we did better. Now we take the job and we don't do any better. I have never seen so many requests for advance payments, wage garnishments, these are indicators.“

The reasons for this development are numerous. One of the factors is the precariousness of jobs over the past four decades. In 2023, according to the Society Observation Center, 16% of jobs are precarious: temporary work, fixed-term contracts, apprenticeships. This is twice as much as in 1980. The rate of part-time work has been falling for several years, but remains high, 27% of part-time employees would like to work more. An overall figure which hides large disparities: among those under 25, 36% say they want to work more.

Jérémy Delville is one of these workers forced into part-time work. He too is employed by Ozange, as an accompanying driver. He accompanies elderly people on errands and appointments. Since the age of 19, he has done odd jobs. He enjoys the daily life of helping people. “It's like a source of pride, to be there and see that they feel reassured and safe, for me, it's important, it makes me want to continue in this field” underlines Jérémy.

We really feel deprived of everything. We don't live, we survive.

Jérémy Delville

Part-time accompanying driver

“I'm looking forward to it!“, retorts Bernadette, who he has just taken to the doctor. “It's a pleasure for me to go to work, even if, behind it, I always have this apprehension of wondering how I will end the monthJérémy admits a little later. Am I going to eat, am I not going to be able to eat? It's not always easy.“

Jérémy earns €924 per month, his rent amounts to €600. This situation takes a toll on his mental health. “We really feel deprived of everything. We don't live, we survive. I don't live well, because it's heavy on a daily basis, we think about it all the timedeplores Jérémy Delville. During the day, even at work, even if we don't show it to the beneficiaries.“Behind the joy of living that he shares with the elderly, anxiety is constant. Like a third of the poorest people in France, he cannot afford leisure activities: his only moment of relaxation , these are the walks, which remain free.

Depend on solidarity

In Orvillers-Soreil, a small village in the Oise, a solidarity grocery store has been offering food products for two and a half years at around 20% of the price charged in supermarkets. A breath of fresh air for Isabelle Demarliere, a former civil service employee, who had to put her career on hold to care for sick relatives and now works as a dental assistant. She has to support her three children and her husband, who can no longer work after an accident, on €1,600 per month.

“When working, it's not easy to say that you find yourself in a social grocery store, it's always the same problem, agreeing to get help when you really need it“, sighs Isabelle Demarliere. She lives 20 kilometers from her work, the car also weighs on her budget.

Like her, 20% of the beneficiaries of this solidarity grocery store have a job. Access to this service and the adjoining solidarity locker room is conditional on the family's remaining living conditions. “I'm worried because I don't think it's fairregrets Pascale Talhouarne, manager of the solidarity grocery store at the Ressonois Rural Social Center. We have a lot of people in temporary work, part-time, who work, but cannot have more hours and as a result, cannot get by.“

A study carried out in 2022 by the French Federation of Food Banks shows that 17% of beneficiaries of this aid for access to basic necessities are poor workers, 60% of whom work part-time. At the national level, the demand for food aid tripled between 2011 and 2022.

Despite the harshness of everyday life, Valérie, Jérémy and Isabelle do not lose hope. Valérie is preparing her driving license and taking courses to become a tutor. Isabelle waits while she receives training as a dental assistant, which will allow her to earn a better salary. Jérémy hopes to find a full-time job in personal assistance.

Since the 2000s, poverty has increased in France and income inequalities have widened. In 2019, wealthy households had an average income 18 times higher than poor households.

With Marie Roussel / FTV