behind the 3.6 billion euros in savings, “there is a third, very hard turn of the screw”, underlines economist Michaël Zemmour

Behind the 3.6 billion euros in savings planned thanks to the new unemployment insurance reform launched by the government, “there is a third, very hard turn of the screw“, underlines, Wednesday May 22 on franceinfo, the economist Michaël Zemmour, teacher-researcher at the Lumière Lyon 2 University and associated researcher at Sciences Po.

“We have already had two unemployment insurance reforms which have reduced benefits by an average of 20% and even a little more for certain groups”he recalls. “Today, it is estimated that around four out of ten unemployed people receive unemployment benefit and we risk falling further below.”

Michaël Zemmour also emphasizes that in terms of effects on employment, “to this date, we have no return from previous reforms.” “What we know is that it has impoverished the people concerned, compensation has fallen and the number of people receiving compensation has fallen, we see this in the figures from Pôle emploi. But the effects on unemployment, we doesn’t know them, they are still being evaluated”he explains.

The economist deplores the “high social cost” of these reforms. “Economic studies show that looking for a stable job that matches your training requires resources. Depriving people of resources can make it difficult to return to stable employment”he believes.