The social partners have not found a compromise on the revaluation of unemployment benefits, which will remain unchanged despite the rise in prices.
Despite high inflation, unemployment benefits will not be increased on July 1. Meeting this Tuesday morning, the board of directors of the National Interprofessional Union for Employment in Industry and Commerce (Unédic) was unable to decide between the union camp in favor of a boost to partly compensate for the rise in prices and the employer camp, for the status quo, announced the unemployment insurance system.
Like every year, employer and union representatives try to find a compromise. Arguing high inflation, union representatives put to the vote a resolution for an increase of 2.41%, corresponding to the recent increase in the minimum wage. Highlighting the degraded situation of Unédic’s finances, the employers’ representatives remained stuck at 0%.
The vote resulted in 25 votes for and 25 votes against. According to Unédic rules, “25 for 25 against, there is no decision”, recalls Denis Gravouil, present for the CGT, denouncing “an employer excess”.
A status quo that causes frustration
The last revaluation dates back to July 1, 2025 (+0.5%). By mid-October 2025, the social partners who manage the Agirc-Arrco regime had already failed to upgrade supplementary pensions.
“It’s as if we were declaring a team winner after a draw without playing overtime,” reacted, disappointed, Denis Gravouil. He recalls that the “totally closed” position of the employers is not a surprise since he had tried to include it in the last reform of unemployment insurance, which resulted in a tightening of the screws on conventional ruptures.
“Our mandate was 0%,” confirms Eric Chevée for Entrepreneurs (ex-CPME), who nevertheless emphasizes that the majority of compensated job seekers alternate periods of work, in which case they benefit from the increase in the legal minimum wage, and periods of unemployment.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, 2.7 million people were compensated by unemployment insurance, according to Unédic figures, more than half of whom received less than 1,000 euros net monthly. The average monthly allowance paid was 1,040 euros.
In France, employees are insured against the risk of becoming unemployed, but far from all job seekers benefit from benefits, particularly when they have not worked a sufficient duration or if they have a part-time job.
