The Prime Minister will speak this Monday afternoon at the Medef summer school. A long-awaited speech on the famous “ energy sobriety asked by Emmanuel Macron, but also on the eco-social perspectives. The head of government will put pressure on companies, which are also struggling to find their workforce.
The threat is clear and distinct. In his back-to-school interview in The Parisian this Sunday, Elisabeth Borne warned companies that profit from inflation: a tax on super profits is not excluded. Unless they first make an effort to lower prices and create jobs.
In Metz on Saturday during a meeting of the executives of En Marche, the Prime Minister had warned the bosses: ” uncertainty will be our daily life, crises will no doubt be regular, and yet we will have to move forward. Our country has the strength to withstand its storms. Everyone will have to do their part. Companies in particular will have to take their responsibilities and make jobs more attractive and working conditions better. »
Because the observation is general: companies lack arms. This concerns jobs in the hotel industry, construction or personal assistance, but also senior management jobs. Bosses must also deal with an increase in resignations: nearly half a million French people left their jobs in the first half of 2022, a record since the 2008 crisis. Employees are less and less reluctant to change jobs, even when they are on CDI.
This Monday the Medef, the main French employers’ organization, is back with the Meeting of Entrepreneurs of France (REF). Two days of debate at the Parisian Longchamp racecourse during which two central questions will be examined: that of inflation and that of the difficulty of recruiting in a tight labor market. What solutions should be put in place to attract or retain employees? Will the return to school be placed under the sign of general salary increases?
To overcome the difficulties of hiring, the consulting firm WTW recommends that companies be more flexible on telework, to offer flexible hours. Faced with inflation, he also advises bosses to increase wages, a measure that 96% of French companies have already implemented according to the firm, with an increase of 3.1% on average. With inflation already at 6% in July, wage increases are expected to continue.
A year ago, companies were bathed in the euphoria of a vigorous recovery in the French economy. The start of the 2022 school year promises to be much less optimistic for them.