To address the economic consequences of the war in the Middle East, Labor Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou announced on Monday that the state will cover the partial unemployment measures, amounting to around 70 million euros.
Long-term partial activity measures (APLD), allowing companies to reduce the activity of their employees while keeping them employed, had been implemented during the covid-19 crisis from 2020 and at the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. However, new measures of this kind could no longer be put in place since early 2023.
On Franceinfo, the minister stated, “to implement partial unemployment measures to support companies experiencing a decrease in activity, there are very few actually, meaning that for the moment, the activity is not holding up too badly.”
“All companies are eligible”
“Partial unemployment can affect all companies facing a sudden decrease in activity directly linked to the crisis” and “that we are not very confident that once the crisis is over, the company will restart,” explained Jean-Pierre Farandou.
“All companies are eligible” but “we will pay even more attention to companies suffering because of what is happening in Iran,” the minister indicated.
The government also announced a plan of over 70 million euros on Friday, targeted and limited to the month of April, for sectors most affected by the surge in fuel prices: fishing, agriculture, or transportation.
“The effort that the state is making in terms of partial unemployment, which is, moreover, paid by the Ministry of Labor, is added to the effort being made to reduce the fuel bill in certain sectors that are particularly fuel-intensive,” Jean-Pierre Farandou emphasized.
This new budget line “around 70 million euros, we will commit it and see how it progresses throughout the year.” But “whatever happens, we will try to keep deficit reduction,” he assured, adding that “there is no magical money” and “the government is not sitting on a jackpot.”
Regarding the revaluation of travel expenses for self-employed nurses, “we will look at what is possible to do,” he also stated.
