The 6th part of the Barometer of the perception of unemployment and employment, carried out with the Elabe firm, delivers its lessons: attached to Unemployment Insurance, the French have nuanced – and sometimes surprising – opinions on the terms of this protection and on those who benefit from it.
“The Barometer feeds the reflections of the social partners and Unédic, it is important for us to follow changes in perceptions of unemployment and employment over the years and their vagaries”, underlines Jean-Eudes Tesson, president of Unédic.
“The perceptions of the French on unemployment and job seekers exert a major influence; it is essential for Unédic to take them into account and confront them with the realities of unemployment and the experiences of job seekers,” considers Patricia Ferrand, vice-president of Unédic.
Since 2020, certain representations widely shared by public opinion have persisted
The 6th part of the Barometer of the perception of unemployment and employment reveals that certain representations, very widespread in public opinion, have changed little since the first part in 2020:
- 7 out of 10 French people are affected, directly or indirectly, by unemployment: 10% of French people (aged 15 and over) are currently registered with France Travail, 49% are not currently registered but have been in the past and 10% have never personally experienced unemployment but have a loved one who is currently job seeker
- Unemployment benefits are perceived as a right since they come from contributions (90%), as a shield allowing most of the unemployed to live with dignity (88%) and more generally, as allowing fight against poverty (76 %)
- The French overwhelmingly share the idea that everyone can experience a period of unemployment during their career (95%) and that unemployment is more of a situation suffered rather than chosen (75 %)
- 1 in 3 job seekers (33 %) says he faces criticism on a daily basis (“I am looked down upon”, “I am told that I am assisted”, “I am told that I am lazy”) and almost 6 out of 10 (59 %) regularly experience a form of inquisition (“people ask me insistently about my job search”, “people tend not to believe me when I say that I am actively looking for a job”)
French people attached to unemployment insurance to protect against the consequences of job loss and a lever for professional transition
The employment situation is seen as not improving since 2022: 50% of French people consider that it is deteriorating, 40% (+5 points in 1 year) that it remains the same and 10% that it is improving, a proportion down 4 points in 1 year and 6 points in 2 years.
Accordingly, 3 active people out of 10 (28 %) consider it likely to experience a period of unemployment in the next 2 years, a proportion increasing for the 2nd consecutive year (+4 in 1 year, +6 in 2 years) and 6 out of 10 job seekers (60 %) consider it unlikely or not likely to find lasting employment.
In the eyes of the French, unemployment is the result of a combination of economic and societal factors. (3 possible answers, total quotes): people who do not want to work (37%, +3); the weight of corporate social charges (33%, +6); the tendency of companies to do more with fewer employees (27%, -3); too little control of unemployed fraudsters (25%, =); the amount of benefits paid to the unemployed (24%, =); the destruction of jobs due to the evolution of technologies, digitalization, robotization (21%, -5); relocations abroad (21%, -5); weak economic growth (20%, +4); excessive or contradictory demands from recruiters (19%, =) and the reluctance of companies to hire (19%, =).
Unemployment is for many synonymous with difficulty – a majority of job seekers and a third of employed workers consider it difficult to find a job when unemployed, in particular to find a job at the same salary – and synonymous with loss of income: 75% of employed people believe that if they found themselves unemployed tomorrow, their income would be lower than their current income, 62% go so far as to think that their financial situation would be strained. Job seekers corroborate this opinion: 75% of them say that since becoming unemployed, the financial situation of their household has actually deteriorated.
In this context, 60% of French people say they are attached to the French model of unemployment insurance, a proportion up 3 points over 12 months, an increase mainly observed among employed workers (59%, +6). So, 73% consider that the fact that unemployment benefits exist reduces the worry of losing their job.
Shield against job loss, unemployment benefits are also seen as a lever for achieving professional transitions:
- 91% believe that they can help them retrain, change jobs or employers, or create their own business
- 78% that unemployment is a transition between two jobs
- 63% an opportunity that invites you to rethink and reflect on your professional project
Among workers (72%) who changed jobs during their professional life (change of employer, job, retraining, transition from employment to independence), 37 % (i.e. 27% of workers) would not have been able to do so without unemployment benefits. Furthermore, the fact that unemployment benefits exist makes voluntary changes in professional life less risky for 3 out of 4 French people (77%). A point of view shared by the 30% of workers who currently plan to change careers (78%).
The French “blacken” the employment situation and have little understanding of their own rights
The French “blacken” the picture of the employment situation and have a distorted image of the profile of job seekers:
- 60% of French people overestimate the unemployment rate, they set it on average at 15.3% (in reality, 7.3% in the 2nd quarter of 2024, latest data when the questionnaire was administered)
- 87% overestimate the proportion of job seekers who receive unemployment benefit (in the 2nd quarter of 2024, only 40% of job seekers registered with France Travail are compensated by unemployment insurance)
- 56% underestimate the proportion of job seekers who have a professional activity (in the 2nd quarter of 2024, half of the beneficiaries covered by unemployment insurance are working)
The French have partial knowledge of the situations which give rise to unemployment rights and even of their own rights: 61% of employed workers do not know with certainty whether or not they would be entitled to benefit from unemployment benefits in the event of losing their job.
Approximations, misconceptions and preconceived ideas fuel criticism of the system and its beneficiaries
Criticism of unemployment benefits is widespread, but not in the majority:
- 53% disagree with the idea that the average duration of unemployment benefit entitlements is too long (47% say they agree)
- 54% do not consider unemployment benefits as an obstacle to returning to work (46% agree, -2 in 1 year)
- 63% reject the idea that the amount of unemployment benefits is too high (37% agree, -2)
In addition, unemployment benefits are overwhelmingly perceived as “useful” because they allow employees to “receive replacement income in the event of job loss” (93 %).
Criticism towards job seekers also exists. So, 61% of French people believe that the unemployed have difficulty finding work because they do not make concessions in their job search, more more than 6 in 10 French people refuse to describe job seekers as “fraudsters” or “on welfare”.
Information on the realities of unemployment, job seekers and the terms of unemployment insurance automatically produces a decline in criticism. After having read the figures on unemployment and job seekers (unemployment rate, share of job seekers who do not receive any unemployment benefit and who have a professional activity, average duration of unemployment):
- Only 39% of French people consider that unemployment benefits are an obstacle to returning to work (they were 46% before having read this information, a drop in criticism of 7 points)
- 38% believe that the average duration of unemployment benefit rights is too long (47% previously, a drop of 9 points)
- 35% believe that most unemployed people cheat to receive benefits (compared to 37% before, decrease 2 points)
- 32% agree with the idea that the unemployed are on welfare (compared to 36% before, 4 points decline)
Exposed to a concrete case simulated based on the regulations in force on the reference salary and the amount of the allowance – a person who loses a full-time job that they have held for more than six months, for a net monthly salary of €2,000, would receive unemployment compensation of around €1,350 net per month – 57% of French people consider this amount to be just right, 28% even consider it too low and only 15% think it is too high.
The French project the image of “weakened” unemployed people, even “damaged”, but the experience of job seekers largely contradicts these perceptions.
Between job seekers and non-job seekers, a gap separates perception from experience:
- 90% of job seekers see themselves as persevering individuals (46% of employed and inactive people think they are), 88% dynamic (compared to 35%) and 82% courageous (compared to 39%).
- At the same time, 67% of employed and inactive people imagine that job seekers are losing skills (only 46% of job seekers say that this corresponds to the reality of their daily life), 67% that they are unlucky (compared to 45%) and 59% that they tend to distance themselves from others (compared to 35%).
- 71% of employed and inactive people imagine that job seekers must feel dependent on society (only 41% feel this way), 60% that they must have the feeling of benefiting from the system (only 17% have this feeling) and 55% that they must feel guilty on a daily basis and have the feeling of being able to do more, of looking more for a job (only 24% of job seekers feel this guilt).
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