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The reforms follow one another and are similar. We can simplify them by saying that the French lose certain advantages and are asked to work more. This works to define both pension reform and unemployment reform, which therefore concerns the unemployed.
They are not looking forward to January 2025. Indeed, unemployment insurance reform will enter a new phase. It intends to significantly modify the calculation of compensation. This change, introduced by France Travail, is part of an administrative simplification process, but it will lead to reductions in payments for a majority of job seekers.
A new method of calculation for the unemployed
When a French person loses his job, he becomes unemployed. He must then register with France Travail and request a return to work assistance allowance (ARE). The amount he receives then depends on his previous salary and his contribution period.
The current compensation system takes into account the exact number of days in each month to calculate unemployment benefits. So, the amounts vary depending on the month: a beneficiary receives more in January (31 days) than in February (28 days).
To have
This amount received by the unemployed increases compared to 2023
The government has been working for months on a reform that will impact the unemployed. Indeed, he wants to standardize the calculation method. Thus, for each month, the administration considers that there will be 30 days. It will therefore deviate from the actual duration.
A fixed amount every month for the unemployed
This change is important. In fact, it guarantees all unemployed people to receive a fixed amount each month. There will therefore no longer be any differences depending on the length of the months. However, this standardization has financial consequences for beneficiaries.
Let’s take the example of our colleagues from Journal du Net. Let's say that an unemployed person receives 47 euros per day. At the end of the month, he will receive 1,410 euros bru (47 x 30). And this, whether the payment takes place in February, June or August. This reform is interesting for the month of February. With only 28 days under his belt, it compensates the unemployed less each year.
On the other hand, this change will not only make people happy. In fact, the development will penalize those whose compensation covers months of 31 days, such as January or July. Over an entire year, the reform results in a net loss for beneficiaries. Let's take the example of the unemployed person who receives 47 euros per day. Over one year, with the old system, he receives 17,155 euros. On the other hand, with the reform (360 days and no longer 365), he will receive 16,920 euros gross.
This difference of 235 euros gross per year represents a loss equivalent to approximately 5 days of compensationor 180 euros net for the average beneficiary. In 2028, a leap year of 366 days, this loss could become even worse.
To have
Unemployed, bad news: this new measure will reduce the amount of benefits for certain profiles
A simplification that is far from convincing
The government presents the reform as administrative progress. However, it raises questions about its social impact. If it guarantees regularity in monthly payments, it reduces the total annual compensation for a large proportion of job seekers.
This in itself is not really surprising. Emmanuel Macron's government seeks to reduce the public deficit. We must make savings, at the expense of the French. After retirement, it is the unemployed who must pay the high price. But the State believes that such a change must also push the French to find work.
Many beneficiaries will therefore have to review their budgetary management to compensate for these losses. For some, this reduction could weigh heavily, particularly in an already difficult economic context.
