Macron cuts benefits for 'lazy' unemployed

Mr Macron plans to reduce or even cut benefits for unemployed people who are not actively looking for work.

French President Emmanuel Macron is facing widespread criticism at home over a controversial plan to reduce unemployment.

Canard EnchaineOn December 27, the French news agency reported on an internal memo from the Ministry of Labor outlining Mr. Macron's plan to get tough on unemployed people who are not actively looking for work.

French President Emmanuel Macron is facing widespread criticism for being tough on the unemployed. Photo: REUTERS

The plan would require unemployed people receiving monthly benefits to report their job search efforts during the month. If officials find that they have turned down training or “reasonable” job offers at least twice, their benefits would be cut in half, from the current 20 percent cut. And benefits would be cut completely if the same pattern continued for two months.

Critics from both the right and the left say the plan equates unemployed people who are reluctant to work and rely on government benefits with those who are actively looking for work but have not been successful for objective reasons.

The left-wing France Undaunted party and the right-wing National Front party said Mr Macron had misdirected his target. “This is unacceptable! The fight against unemployment is not a fight against the unemployed,” said France Undaunted party spokesman Alexis Corbiere.

On Twitter, the French Socialist Party accused Mr. Macron of favoring employers. Mr. Macron defended the measure, saying it did not label all those on unemployment benefits as fraudsters. “Without regulations, there is no way forward. That does not mean we will go after anyone,” Mr. Macron said on December 27.

Mr Macron said he was only fulfilling a campaign promise: “This regulation was announced during the election campaign. And as always, we always do what we say. I said it and we will do it.”

According to Mr. Macron, this measure is normal, nothing shocking, saying that the government plans to spend 15 billion USD on training programs for the unemployed.

The controversial plan will be debated by the National Assembly on January 11, 2018. France's unemployment rate is 9.6%, higher than the European average of 7.8%.

Before this wave of criticism, Mr. Macron had difficulty reforming labor laws in the direction of giving employers more power to negotiate jobs and wages with workers, and making it easier to fire workers. A series of protests took place across the country because of this.

According to PLO