“A youth minimum wage could get many precarious people back on track” | EUROtoday

Ln January 28, the Medef (Movement of Companies of France, employers’ group) talked about, amongst different avenues, the creation of a “young minimum wage” to advertise the employment and integration of sure or only a few unqualified younger individuals. It was sufficient to revive outdated controversies: the CGT noticed a “declaration of war” and the UNEF [Union nationale des étudiants de France, à gauche] instantly known as on the youth to “mobilize”.

The postures are nicely practiced. And, like a satan popping out of his field, the specter of Edouard Balladur’s skilled integration contract (CIP) [en 1994] reappeared. In actuality, nobody ought to complain that we’re lastly speaking about youth after an extended and painful budgetary debate marked by decisions, for instance on pensions, which may hardly be described as promising for the longer term. But, principally, what can we consider Medef’s proposal?

To decide this, we should begin by recalling the scenario wherein some younger individuals discover themselves in relation to the job market. According to INSEE, the unemployment charge for younger individuals aged 16 to 24 has actually fallen considerably for the reason that begin of the Nineteen Nineties (from round 25% to 18.6%); however, in actuality, this drop solely benefited graduates. For the least certified younger individuals (bac degree and beneath), it didn’t happen. Over the identical interval, the unemployment charge has even elevated sharply for younger individuals with no diploma, reaching virtually 33% right now.

In truth, at such ranges, the notion of unemployment charge loses its that means, as a result of many unemployed younger individuals are now not even counted within the energetic inhabitants. This is why economists choose to measure the proportion of younger individuals aged 15 to 29 who should not “ neither in employment, nor below academic standing, nor in coaching » (NEET, in response to the statisticians’ English acronym).

In view of this indicator, the scenario stays very worrying, since this proportion stands at 12.5% ​​within the fall of 2025 in response to INSEE, i.e. a degree larger than that of 2003, the 12 months wherein it was estimated for the primary time, and twice as excessive as in Germany. The overwhelming majority of those younger individuals are poorly certified, since 72% of them have a diploma degree of lower than or equal to the baccalaureate. Furthermore, we are able to by no means emphasize sufficient the territorial disparities on this space: virtually 30% of 15-29 12 months olds are on this scenario in Reunion and greater than 20% in a number of dozen metropolitan employment areas.

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