Gabriel Attal revealed that he wanted to implement a reform of unemployment insurance. This decision divides on all sides, even within the majority.
During his interview with the TF1 8 p.m. news, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal revealed his desire to reform unemployment insurance within the year. He wants to “further encourage the resumption of employment”. This could involve a reduction in the duration of compensation which is currently 18 months. Gabriel Attal set the limit at 12 months minimum. The second avenue that was mentioned is that of the working time necessary to be able to benefit from unemployment. The duration of six months over the last two years currently in place could be extended. Gabriel Attal would like “the parameters to be presented this summer, for a reform in the fall”.
This reform project is not unanimous. Even the majority seems doubtful. The criticism comes in particular from elected officials from the presidential party but classified towards the left wing of the political spectrum. Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly, for example, called on Tuesday April 2 to delay, recalling Franceinfo that the government has already “reduced the duration of compensation”. “I think that we should not touch such important parameters so quickly, without having evaluated the previous reform,” she clarified.
Elisabeth Borne, former Prime Minister, was also surprised by this desire of Gabriel Attal which, according to her, contradicts the countercyclical spirit of that of 2023 because the new reform could reduce the duration of benefits while unemployment is on the rise again. , according to The world. On the left, the opposition is raging, accusing the government of making savings “on the backs of the unemployed”.
Gabriel Attal persists and signs
On the French side, the reform also divides. According to an Odoxa-Backbone Consulting survey for Le Figaro published Thursday April 4, 54% are in favor of the reform. However, only 45% think these measures will be enough to reduce the unemployment rate.
Despite the criticism, Gabriel Attal stays the course. “I fully assume responsibility. I was appointed to act. It is not an economic reform, it is a reform of activity and prosperity,” declared the Prime Minister in an interview with World. The project was, in fact, announced when INSEE revealed a public deficit of 5.5% of GDP in 2023. “I am not trying to divide the French, I am rather trying to bring them together. And I believe that work is one of the values that largely unite the French”, concluded Gabriel Attal.