The effort is recognized but its continuation and amplification are hoped for. The Federation of integration enterprises (FEI) calls on the government to revise upwards the budget for integration through economic activity (IAE) provided for in the 2023 finance bill. This is a good thing, an amendment on the work and employment mission tabled by the group Les Républicains (LR) in the Senate, which will be debated on Monday, November 28, precisely proposes an increase of 30 million euros in this budget.
“Everything is sucked up by the very significant rise in the minimum wage” – Luc de Gardelle
“We have a real concern, not about the government’s support for integration, but about our ability to continue to develop within such a restricted budgetary framework”, explains Luc de Gardelle, President of the FEI. As a reminder, the IAE allows people furthest from employment to benefit from specific employment contracts offered by appropriate structures. In 2019, the Minister of Labor at the time, Muriel Pénicaud, launched an “ambition pact” for the IAE with a budget increased to 1.3 billion euros from 2019 to 2022. A plan that allowed the creation of more than 320 inclusive social enterprises in three years, for a total of 2,070. And the number of people supported has increased by 40%, from 71,000 in 2019 to 101,000 in 2022.
A sign that the State is not abandoning the IAE, the budget for 2023 has been revised upwards: it is expected to increase from 1.29 billion euros to 1.33 billion euros. A false increase, regrets Luc de Gardelle: “Everything is sucked up by the very significant rise in the minimum wage [indexé sur l’inflation], so that’s not enough. Mechanically, with this budget, there are fewer positions in the sector. » The LR group in the Senate shares this idea since the amendment tabled by Philippe Mouiller (LR, Deux-Sèvres) recalls that the budget “is actually decreasing in number [d’équivalent temps plein] financeable given the rise in the minimum wage”. The measure, also supported by environmental senators, which therefore aims to top up the budget with 30 million euros, is broken down into “20 million euros to ensure the growth of the number of jobs in integration companies” and 10 million euros for training.
“We must not brake now”
If the rapporteur of the work and employment mission, the senator (LR) of Isère Frédérique Puissat, considers that it is necessary “to give credit to the government for supporting the process of integration through economic activity”she insists on the need to “revise the envelope to cover all contract costs”. “We must start from the realities on the ground and then adapt the budget according to needs”, specifies the one who must defend the amendment on Monday. These additional 30 million euros could help create 4,000 jobs, according to Luc de Gardelle. “Our development is launched, we must not slow it down now, especially since integration through economic activity works”he assures.
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