Unemployment insurance reform: what changes from April 1, 2025?

Coming into force on April 1, 2025, the unemployment insurance reform introduces a series of adjustments designed to adapt the scheme to changes in the labor market and budgetary balances. This reform, which applies to all jobseekers, has differentiated effects according to profile. In particular, it includes targeted measures for senior citizens and entrepreneurs. Here are the main changes to remember.

Monthly benefits: a standardized basis

One of the major changes introduced by the reform concerns the method of calculating benefits. These are now paid on the basis of a flat-rate month of 30 calendar days, regardless of the month of the year. This measure is designed to simplify the management of entitlements and ensure greater clarity for beneficiaries. It applies to all recipients, including those whose compensation began before April 1, 2025.

Jobseekers aged 55 and over: the reform

The reform includes specific changes for older jobseekers. Maximum compensation periods are now set at 685 days (22.5 months) for those aged 55 or 56, and 822 days (27 months) for those aged 57 and over. These changes are in line with our policy of adapting to longer working careers.

In addition, an important measure concerns the degressivity of unemployment benefit, which applies after six months of compensation to beneficiaries receiving a daily allowance above a certain threshold. Recipients aged 55 or over are now exempt, whereas previously this exemption only applied from the age of 57. The aim of this change is to provide better support for senior citizens in their return to employment, taking into account the increased difficulties they face.

Business start-ups: more restrictive rules for accumulating benefits

The system applicable to business start-ups has also been modified. To qualify for ARCE (Aide à la reprise ou à la création d’entreprise), the second instalment is now conditional on the absence of a full-time permanent employment contract. In addition, there is now a ceiling of 60% on the combination of the ARE (Allocation d’Aide au Retour à l’Emploi) with income from self-employment.

In the event of cessation of entrepreneurial activity, ARE rights can be reactivated, but only after application of a specific deferral period. These new rules are designed to provide a stricter framework for situations involving the accumulation of ARE rights, in order to ensure consistency with the objectives of a return to employment. In addition, an important measure concerns the degressivity of unemployment benefit, which applies after six months of compensation to beneficiaries receiving a daily allowance above a certain threshold. Recipients aged 55 or over are now exempt, whereas previously this exemption only applied from the age of 57. The aim of this change is to provide better support for senior citizens in their return to employment, taking into account the increased difficulties they face.

Intermittent workers and short contracts: technical adjustments

Other measures concern fragmented or seasonal career paths. The minimum period of employment entitling workers to compensation has been lowered to 5 months (from 6) over a reference period of 24 months. This measure is aimed in particular at seasonal or alternating workers with discontinuous career paths.

At the same time, the right to resume previous compensation is facilitated. Recipients who interrupt their unemployment to take up a short-term job – less than 88 days worked or 610 hours – will be able to recover their rights without having to reconstitute their entire period of affiliation.

Conclusion: what impact for vulnerable profiles?

While this reform is in line with a logic of accountability and budgetary efficiency, its effects are not uniform. Seniors, who face greater difficulties in accessing employment, benefit from certain protective measures, but also see the maximum duration of compensation slightly reduced before the age of 57. Entrepreneurs, for their part, will have to contend with stricter rules on accumulating benefits, likely to have an impact on their ability to secure their entrepreneurial career.

As Laurent Moreuil, partner at Patchwork, pointed out in an article published in Le Monde on 14.06.2024: “The delicate balances governing labor law and social protection are probably underestimated”.

A reflection that reminds us of the need to measure, beyond technical adjustments, the human and economic impact of each reform.