Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - France (Ratification: 1971)

Youth employment. The Government indicates in the report received in August 2014 that youth employment is a priority. The Committee notes that the measures taken to prevent the growth of youth unemployment include, on the one hand, those intended to help young persons to gain access to the labour market, particularly through jobs for the future, the youth guarantee and the measures taken within the framework of the National Interoccupational Agreement (ANI) of 7 April 2011 and, on the other, the measures intended to facilitate a return to training, particularly through follow-up and support facilities for young drop-outs, training skills employment networks (FOQUALE), second chance schools (E2C) and the reform of apprenticeship. The Committee notes the objectives set out by the Government in the context of the implementation of the measures referred to above, and the first elements of the assessment of jobs for the future (94,660 as of 31 December 2013), the ANI (11,900 young persons supported by the employment services and 9,700 by local missions completed the second stage “contract concluded and intensive support”) and the FOQUALE networks (14,000 young persons “reinserted” since the beginning of the 2013 school year). The Government adds that several subjects relating to the situation of young persons on the labour market were addressed at the third major social conference held in July 2014, including: an easier transition from school to the world of work, efforts to combat students leaving school without qualifications, and more sustained development of apprenticeship. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing detailed information on employment trends for young persons, including statistics disaggregated by age and sex, as well as for other categories for which data are available. It also invites the Government to include an updated evaluation of the active policy measures implemented with a view to reducing the impact of unemployment on young persons, particularly the most vulnerable, and facilitating their lasting integration into the labour market.

Older workers. The Government indicates that between 2011 and 2013 the employment rate of persons aged 50–64 increased by 5 per cent. The employment rate of older workers was 57.9 per cent at the end of 2013. Although its increase had been very dynamic in previous years, the rise in the employment rate for older workers slowed down in 2013. Among the measures adopted for older workers, the Government reports a series of provisions intended to increase their activity rates and make their employment more dynamic, in addition to the sustained mobilization of assisted contracts. The Government emphasizes that the continuation of measures for the employment of older workers and their maintenance in employment remains more than ever its priority, in the same way as combating the long-term unemployment affecting them. The Committee invites the Government to provide detailed information on the situation, level and trends of employment for older workers, and to indicate the specific results obtained through the measures intended to remedy unemployment and underemployment among older workers, including statistics disaggregated by age and sex, as well as for other categories for which data are available.

Education and training policy. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government concerning the reform of the vocational training system, particularly through the creation of individual training accounts (CPF) and the vocational development council. The CPF is linked to the individual and no longer to the employment contract, and it ensures the monitoring of individuals throughout their life, thereby permitting the acquisition of financed training hours, without limit of time, irrespective of changes in occupational status. Vocational development counselling will be delivered by five national operators and consists of supporting vocational development projects and facilitating access to training, particularly through the use of CPFs. Moreover, the Plan on “priority training for employment” launched in September 2013 is intended to increase the entry into training of jobseekers in sectors and occupations which offer short or medium term employment opportunities. The Government considers that the outcome of the plan is positive, as it resulted in 38,922 enrolments in training as of 31 December 2013. A second priority training plan was launched for 2014 with a view to benefiting 100,000 jobseekers. The Committee invites the Government to continue providing information on programmes for the promotion of lifelong learning with a view to improving the vocational skills of adults, and an assessment of their impact on the creation of lasting and freely chosen jobs.