Nearly 90,000 jobs created in the private sector, according to INSEE, this first quarter. The dynamic remains positive while growth is weak. The decryption of Fanny Guinochet.
It has been nine quarters in a row that salaried employment has increased in France while we have a series of crises, health, energy, the war at the gates of Europe, inflation… But, in total, since the end of 2019 , the French economy created nearly 1.5 million new jobs. This good figure is partly explained by work-study and apprenticeships, which have experienced a real boost, boosted by the reform and state bonuses for hiring young people. So much so that today, according to INSEE, it represents a good third of these job creations
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But, since the Covid, too, work organizations have also changed. For example, in catering, there are fewer breaks in working hours. More staff are then needed to fill the same position, which leads to recruitment. Result: in recent months, in France, we have more people in employment than before, but a productivity that is weakening. This means that it takes longer than before to carry out a task or a mission, and that more people are needed than before.
It is normal for apprentices to be less efficient than experienced workers. According to economists, this drop in productivity is not very good news for the economy, because it is also due to Covid aid, such as partial unemployment. This aid has encouraged companies to keep their employees in the workforce, not to lay off, when they have not necessarily regained their level of activity.
Will these good employment figures last?
If we believe the forecasts of the French Observatory of Economic Conditions (OFCE), we can expect a slow rise in unemployment with the end of aid, “whatever the cost”, but also because sectors are struggling, such as construction, or building, which are experiencing a downturn.
The government is more optimistic: it highlights the thousands of jobs to come in industry, which remains very dynamic, in nuclear power, renewable energies, or ecological transition. After the establishment of gigafactories of electric batteries, or sites of electronic components, the executive is also preparing to announce, as of next week, several factory openings, in the pharmacy or aeronautics with many key positions.