Unemployment and Job Seeking in France

Find out what to do if you are unemployed in France, with information on Pôle-Emploi, the French national organisation relevant to unemployment and job seekers...
The
unemployment rate in France has been just under 9% over recent years, with a
high rate of unemployment among the under 25s.
Pôle-Emploi is
the French unemployment office. It literally means "Employment
Centre" and assists job seekers in France to find a new job and ensures
benefits are paid. It also works for employers, helping companies in their
recruitment (needs analysis, selection of candidates) and collects
contributions for unemployment insurance.
The Pôle-Emploi website has
many job offers if you are looking for a job in France, and allows employers to
review the CVs of available workers.
How to claim unemployment benefits in France
If
your work contract has come to an end or you have been made redundant, the
first step is to register at the local Pôle-Emploi office within 12 months of
the end of an employment contract.
Unemployment
benefits in France are called Allocation d'aide au Retour à l'Emploi (ARE).
Some
changes to unemployment benefit were implemented in November 2019 and are
listed below. The Pôle-Emploi office
has created a video outlining these changes. The conditions for receiving
unemployment benefits in France are quite complex and depend on an individual's
circumstances and age.
The
employee must have worked a minimum of 130 days or 910 hours out of the
previous 24 months to be entitled to payments. Over 53 year olds must prove
they have worked 130 days out of the previous 36 months to make a claim. Allowances
are made for those who have to leave employment to follow a spouse to another
part of the country for their job, or they have left as the result of a mutual
agreement. This is known as a rupture conventionnelle du contrat de travail.
A
significant change is that self-employed people and freelancers can now claim
unemployment benefit of €800 per month for six months. To qualify, the worker
must have previously earned at least €10,000 and be actively looking for work.
Their business must have gone into legal liquidation.
Anyone
wanting to claim unemployment benefit for a second or third time, must have
worked for at least six months between claims, a change from the previous one
month period.
Another
change is that anyone who leaves their job after five years to start a business
of their own (a professional project) will now be able to claim unemployment
benefit. More details are available from the Ministry of Labour
In
order to continue to receiving benefits certain conditions must be met. For
example; it must be proven that there is a commitment to active job seeking and
reasonable offers of employment cannot be refused twice,
- The Pôle-Emploi
has a comprehensive guide on the new conditions
for receiving unemployment
benefits
- Further details on the rupture conventionnelle from
the Ministry of Employment (in French)
- For more on claiming
benefits for the Self-employed
·
Service-Public also
has a comprehensive guide
How long are French unemployment benefits
paid?
In
April 2020 new rules for calculating unemployment benefit will be put into
place.
The
minimum duration for benefits has increased from four to six months. Benefits
are paid for a maximum of 24 months if you are under 53 years old, and 36 months
if you are aged 53 and over on the date your employment contract ended. More
details are available from the Pôle-Emploi website (in French)
Unemployment
benefit is paid after certain deferral periods and a 7 day delay at the end of
the contract. Payments are made monthly. The amount paid is determined by Pôle-Emploi.
For details how the allowance is calculated (in French)
Those
who earned €4500 gross per month will see a 30% reduction in benefits after 182
days. This change was implemented in November 2019. This does not apply to job
seekers over the age of 57.
Pôle-Emploi website more on employment benefits
and the answers to questions for both employers and employees.
Registration at the Unemployment
Office
Job seekers can
register as unemployed from the day following the end of your employment
contract. Registration as unemployed and registration for access to employment
take place at the same job centre.
Registering can
be done online via the Pôle-Emploi
website, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. The required documentation can be uploaded to the site. After
creating a user name and password, job seekers are allocated with an online ‘file’
they are required to update frequently.
·
To view an instruction video on how to register online
Pre-registration
can also be done be done by telephoning to make an appointment for registration
for unemployment benefits and (if required) job seeking. Notice of the
appointment will be received by email or telephone.
- Reservation by phone: Tel 39 49
- Find a local unemployment office
- Pre-register online (in French)
Once an appointment has been made, the
following documents are required at the meeting if they have not already been
uploaded to the online system.
- Registration and application for unemployment benefits file
- Proof of identity (Carte de Séjour or passport)
- Social security card
- Attestation Pôle Emploi: Certificate issued by the employer (if
relevant)
- Bank RIB
To download the Pôle Emploi welcome booklet (PDF in French)
As soon as the job seeker has their
employers certificate this also needs to be uploaded to the job seeking file.
It is possible to register for unemployment without this certificate but no
benefits will be received until they have it.
If you are eligible for benefit
payments, you will immediately be registered as an employment seeker. An
identifying number and personal code is issued at the initial meeting. These
should be quoted in all correspondence and at all meetings.
Once the file
(dossier) is completed, and the form allowing unemployment benefit is completed
and signed, the dossier will be examined. You will be notified of your rights
and obligations, and issued with a carte de demandeur d’emploi,
which serves as proof that you are registered as unemployed. An obligatory
meeting with an advisor will take place the month following your registration.
During the consultation the advisor will explore and elaborate on the Projet
Personnalisé d'Accès à l'Emploi (PPAE) or "plan of action" to find a
job. d
- More information about the Projet Personnalisé d'Accès à
l'Emploi (in French)
Before the meeting, you will be sent a
document to help you prepare. CVs, job certificates, diplomas etc. should be brought
to the meeting.
- The document Préparez votre premier
entretien (PDF in French)
References