Budget 2025: why cross-border workers could see their unemployment benefits slashed | TF1 INFORMATION

Some of our associates, who work and contribute in Germany, Luxembourg or Switzerland, are compensated by the French unemployment system when they lose their jobs.

Despite the compensation paid by these foreign countries, the compensation of 77,000 cross-border workers cost the French state around 800 million euros in 2023.

A system that should be changed next January, as part of the pursuit of costs in the state budget.

The end Franco-Swiss Tristan has crossed twice a day for six years. He is a works manager in Geneva, a position he chose partly for the salary: according to him, it is twice what he can earn in France for the same job. A year ago, he found himself unemployed for five months. Here too, the compensation is generous, and higher than what he would have earned by taking a job in France, he believes in the TF1 report above. The compensation is calculated according to his Swiss salary, but paid by France.

A cost of 800 million euros for France

When an employee working across borders he adds to Switzerland. However, if he loses his job, he is compensated by Unédic in France. Switzerland has to compensate part of this compensation. But obviously, the border countries are not giving enough. Because according to the Unédic report in 2023, despite their compensation, the compensation of 77,000 unemployed cross-border workers cost France at least 800 million euros. In total, since 2011, the cumulative additional cost for cross-border worker compensation amounts to 9 billion euros.

But this system will change next January. The social partners have agreed on a new method for calculating unemployment compensation for cross-border workers, which is less beneficial for the latter. The terms have not yet been published, but according to the CGT, the allowance could be halved in some cases. Also a way to encourage these unemployed people to accept a job offer in France, even if it is not so good.

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Our team met with a former French dealer in Geneva, who agreed to testify anonymously. Unemployed for a year and a half, he rejected all offers proposed by France Travail. “The positions I was looking for were assistant store manager positions.he summarizes. It is not known at the moment whether the new calculation method will apply to people who are already unemployed, or only those who will lose their job from 1 January.