Plans for new French youth worker contract that makes firing easier criticised
Union compared proposals to controversial ‘CPE’ contract plans that sparked major protests
Young workers would face a three-year period where their contract could be terminated at anytime without cause
David Gyung/Shutterstock
Plans by France’s major employers’ federation for a new permanent work contract for young people that would make it easier for employers to fire them have provoked outrage among unions.
French employers’ federation Medef proposed the new contract via a document during a meeting between employers and unions in late January, reports several French media outlets including Les Echos.
It was one of several measures Medef suggested to bring down youth unemployment.
Medef said the new, more flexible permanent employment contract (Contrat à Durée Indéterminée – CDI) would help reduce the youth unemployment rate, which has long been an issue in France.
The contract proposed by Medef could be terminated without cause by the employer during the first three years.
The unemployment rate for 15-24 year olds was 21.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to national statistics institute INSEE, rising from 18.7% the year before.
This is compared to the national unemployment rate of 7.9%.
Union response
Medef has provided no further information on the plan, which has been roundly condemned by France’s trade unions.
It amounted to “a declaration of war against young people and employees”, Sophie Binet, the head of the CGT union, wrote on social media platform X.
She said the idea was an attempt to repeat the CPE (contrat première embauche), an employment contract devised by the then Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin in 2006 that provoked widespread protests and was shelved before it was ever rolled out.
The CPE had a two year trial period whereas the new Medef proposal has three.
Ms Binet, speaking on France 2, said Medef had also proposed implementing a new youth minimum wage, “meaning that young people would be paid less than the standard minimum wage.”
“It’s serious that employers have no other prospects to offer young people than lifelong insecurity. When you’re young, access to your first job is crucial for getting access to housing. If you’re insecure [without a CDI-style contract] for three years, how are you going to do that?”
Many students also expressed their opposition to the plan.
Speaking on RTL, Hania Hamidi, Secretary General of the National Union of Students of France (UNEF), said the union opposed the idea, adding “what future prospects will this proposition offer young people?… The government is already destroying the future of young people”.
European inspiration
Medef said it drew inspiration “from the Italian example of the progressive rights contract” according to French media reports.
It said the contract, created by a 2015 law, had contributed to the decrease in structural unemployment in Italy.
The contract could be terminated without cause, with compensation increasing depending on the employee’s seniority.
Other suggestions in Medef’s document include encouraging women into scientific training and combating “brain drain” according to Les Echos.
Government response
The government appears to have rejected the idea, with Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou telling the Assemblée nationale in early February “the proposals and suggestions that were put forward are absolutely not being adopted by the government”.
Sources in the prime minister’s office said such a plan was “not on the agenda” according to Le Figaro.
In reaction to the latest youth unemployment figures, Mr Farandou said in a statement “I continue to make professional integration and increasing the employment rate my absolute priorities, particularly for young people.”
