VSAs the recent examples of RSA, unemployment insurance and pension reform have shown, French employment policies remain marked by the paradigm of activation and financial incentives for employment. , developed in the 1990s by the OECD. This paradigm is based on theoretical models explaining unemployment by a set of rigidities hindering the functioning of the labor market, first and foremost the behavior of workers made too demanding by the protections available to them. However, the context of the labor market has changed profoundly: the succession of unanticipated crises creates significant uncertainty for workers and businesses alike, requiring sometimes very rapid adaptations as in the case of the health crisis; technological change increases the skills needs (specific and transversal) of workers, while making their professional trajectories more uncertain and more unequal, and without currently showing any recovery in productivity gains; the ecological transition increases labor needs in priority sectors (such as construction, transport, agriculture), which are already in deficit, making it necessary to reflect on the adaptation of training and on professional transitions towards these sectors; finally, the perception of inequalities at work and the attractiveness of jobs has broadened beyond salary issues, taking into account working conditions, schedules, career prospects, the meaning of work and its usefulness social.
To succeed in employment policies for 2030, that is to say, to reduce unemployment while supporting the ecological transition and improving social cohesion, we must now change the paradigm and put the emphasis on security and quality of employment and professional trajectories.
Unfavorable position
Indeed, although unemployment is generally down compared to previous periods, the quality of employment and work is not improving in France, according to European surveys on working conditions by the Dublin Foundation. The latest survey, dated 2021, confirms an unfavorable position of our country in terms of working conditions (physical risks, working environment), health and safety at work, and, finally, access to training and careers. In addition, inequalities in job quality are blatant, with an accumulation of unfavorable conditions (low salaries, physical hardship, time constraints) in the care, commerce or security professions, despite being perceived as “essential” since the health crisis.
You have 60% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.