How unemployment benefit rules are changing in France from April 1, 2025

New unemployment benefit rules are set to come into force in France from April 1, 2025, following negotiations between unions and employers’ organisations.

They are expected to last for four years.

The changes are linked to the gradually rising state retirement age in France and mainly concern the age at which people are considered to be ‘seniors’ by France Travail (the employment and benefits agency, formerly called Pôle emploi), and thus entitled to an easing of the rules.

The new rules state: 

• From April 1: People will have to be aged 55 at the time of the termination of their contract or the end of their fixed-term contract (CDD) to be considered as ‘seniors’ by France Travail, whereas this was in most cases previously 53. 

Only people whose employment contract is terminated from this date, or those whose dismissal procedure is initiated from this date, will be affected by these new rules.

The old rules will continue to apply to jobseekers already receiving benefits, or for contracts ending prior to April 1, 2025. 

Read more: Nine ways a French job centre can help jobseekers - and employers

Some conditions for unemployment benefit remain the same as under current rules: 

• Recipients must be involuntarily unemployed (end of fixed-term contract, redundancy, contractual termination) or have resigned for a ‘legitimate’ reason

• They must be looking for a job

• They must not have a health problem that prevents them from working 

• They must reside in France for more than six months in the year

• They must usually have done at least six months of actual work (or 130 days) over the last two years at the point when their contract ends

• The standard maximum duration of benefits is 18 months.

Some key changes related to age include:

• To be entitled to the an extended maximum benefit period for ‘seniors’ of 22.5 months (685 days), recipients need to be at least 55 (up from 53)

• To be entitled to an extended benefit period of up to 27 months (822 days), recipients need to be 57 (instead of 55)

• ‘Seniors’ claiming unemployment benefit only have to show at least six months’ work over three years, rather than over two years: the age for this is also rising to 55 (from 53).

• Recipients aged 53-54 and in training could previously obtain a 137-day extension of their benefit period. This is now only available for people who were 55 or more at the end of their employment contract.

• The system that allows unemployed people aged 62 or over to continue to receive their unemployment benefit (until they are entitled to a full pension), is also affected. The age of entry into this scheme will gradually increase from 62 to 64, every three months, until 2030. 

Another change will lead to less money paid out over the year: 

• Unemployment benefits will in future (and this applies for everyone) be paid based on 30 days per month, meaning the amount will be the same every month. At present the amount is less in shorter months, more in longer months. However, this will work out as a loss of five days per year of paid benefits or six in a leap year.

The changes also include some good news for recipients:

• A recipient who finds a job now has four months in which they can leave, up from three, without this decision depriving them of the right to benefits

• There is a change with regard to the gradual tapering down of benefit that can start after seven months for those whose previous salary was above a certain level. This will now only apply for those aged under 55, as opposed to 57.

• The rules for calculation of the daily amount of unemployment benefit have been adjusted slightly so that those who have had many short contracts with jobless periods in-between are less penalised

• Seasonal workers now only have to have worked for a minimum of five months in the previous two years instead of six.

State of the economy

A rule, established in previous reforms, exists whereby benefit rules may be tightened if the economic situation improves and eased if it gets worse.

Notably, if the economy worsens, the government should in theory relax the conditions for access to unemployment benefit and increase the duration of payment (the duration is currently reduced by 25%).

The unemployment rate was 7.4% for the third quarter of 2024, but if it exceeds 9%, in theory this could lead to an easing of the rules.