French Parliament Passes Bill to Promote Permanent Employment for People Aged 60 and Over

The French Parliament has passed a measure to introduce a new employment contract aimed at increasing the employment rate among people aged 60 and over by hiring them as permanent employees.

French Parliament. Yonhap News

According to the French daily Le Parisien, the French National Assembly passed the bill on July 3 (local time) with 57 votes in favor and 9 against.

The bill, called the "Value of Experience Contract," allows employers to hire job seekers aged 60 and over as permanent employees. If there is an industry-level agreement, the measure can be applied from the age of 57.

Employers can decide to retire employees once they meet the requirements for a full pension, and they will receive an exemption from social security contributions on severance pay. Under current law, employers cannot force employees to retire until they turn 70, which has made them reluctant to offer permanent positions. The new bill will be implemented on an experimental basis for five years after it comes into effect.

The far-left party La France Insoumise criticized the bill, stating, "We will not participate in the forced reactivation of labor for older people," and argued that "this type of employment contract is merely a new privilege for employers, serving as a smokescreen."

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