With the pension reform bill soon to reach the National Assembly, access to employment for the over-50s raises questions, especially for women.
The text is flammable and almost reaches the National Assembly. The examination of the pension reform bill in the committee should be considered in a few days, before the start of discussions in the semi-district, a week later. If accepted, the statutory retirement age will be increased from 62 to 64. This means women, even more than men, will have to work longer, according to an official study of the impact of the reforms, published on Monday 23 January. Many of them are now reaching retirement age without completing all of their quarters after career cuts or interruptions. Therefore, they must continue to work or be laid off until age 67. On the other hand, those who have had children without interrupting their careers can most often retire at age 62 with a full pension. The most penalties for deferment are: they will have to work an average of 7 months longer than today, compared to 5 months for men.
In the video, Elizabeth Bourne struggles to defend women’s pension reform in front of a hostile congregation
But they still have to be able to. While employment rates for older people are rising, working people over 50, and even more so women, face particular challenges. Only 56% of 55-64-year-olds are employed in 2021, compared to about 82% of 25-49-year-olds, according to Dares (1), a report released Jan. 12 by the Department of Labor’s research division. . This figure, which is the highest since 1975, hides the French delay in this area. The European Union average is 60.5%.
Women’s employment lags behind
Above all, it varies by genre. The level of employment of women is 54.3% (against 57.7% of men), and the level of activity. (which brings together working and unemployed women, editor’s note), by 57.9%, against 61.1% of men. Above all, those who work are more often part-time; 32% of them use it, versus just 11% of men, again according to Dares.
The authors of the report point to a final difference by gender. if the unemployment rate among women aged 55-64 is slightly lower (6.1% compared to 6.5%), this is mainly due to the fact that “the latter are more often retired; and women are more often not active without retirement.” Therefore, stuck in a sort of in-between, neither in the workplace nor out of the labor market. How then can seniors be guaranteed employment until retirement?
The “senior index” is still uncertain
In response, the government is drawing up a draft seniority index based on a 2019 “occupational equality” index against gender inequality in the workplace. This system would force companies with more than 300 employees to publish annually the share of seniors in their workforce and yet-to-be-defined figures on how to promote their recruitment.
If the reform is adopted before the summer, as most hope, this indicator will come into force from November 1, 2023 for companies with 1,000 employees, and from July 1, 2024 for companies with 300 employees. Concerned companies that do not publish their figures will then be subject to a financial penalty. The “enhanced obligation to negotiate a social agreement” has been doubled for companies that are not making progress in terms of employment of older people.
Consent against the device
The trade unions, which have to set the indicators of the index with the government, constantly criticize it. Medef, which supports pension reform, opposes overly heavy pressures and sanctions that could burden employers. Unions of workers united against the bill consider the system insufficient to ensure the recruitment and retention of seniors. Hence a door opened by some ministers and majority MPs who say they are open to discussions. Even if it means, perhaps, tightening of the system, sanctions.
(1) The elderly in the labor market in 2021Dare, January 12, 2023
In video, part-time. no, it costs less to not work on wednesday afternoon
Source: Le Figaro
