Of course it is on the rise since a few months already

In a country where every week that passes brings its batch of social plans, this is a phenomenon which does not surprise: in the monthly figures for registration in the employment pole, the Organization now ANPE and Assedic, the wave of economic redundancies still resembles a ripple. Of course, it is on the rise since a few months already. In March, last month known, it was swollen by 12 from February, and it is half more important that it was here a year. It is somewhat undermined by the tens of thousands of employees currently custom reclassification agreement or contract of professional transition, although the number of registered unemployed to cause economic dismissal remains at a level among the lowest in recent history. They are 22,500 in March to be entered at the pole job for this reason, at the time where the France plunge into a recession and unprecedented for a century. They were 31,000 in March 2004, year where economic growth was the highest since the beginning of the Decade (2.5).

The volume of these dismissals just returned today to that which was his example in 2000-2001 period of relative prosperity. And it is barely higher than that of the resignations, indicator of activity on the labour market... This paradox is explained by the traditional delay with which, in France, the employment market responds to economic conditions. It is true that this time, this discrepancy was much lower than in the past because of the flexibility provided businesses in recent years. The massive use of acting, which has always represented a wheel more 650.000 jobs between the end of 2006 and the spring of 2008, has accelerated the transmission of the crisis in the labour market since nearly 225,000 positions have been destroyed over the past year in this sector. Between purposes of temporary and fixed-term mission, "the labour market has been more reactive than it would had been in 1993", said Marie-Claire Carrère-Gée, President of the Council (WCC) employment orientation. However, more flexibility to companies is not always mean more speed in the social impact of the recession. Thus relaxed rules of use of the facilities offered by the reduction of working time or partial activity have contributed to slow surging unemployment registration.

Conversely, it is legislation binding, the social modernization law of 2002 and the social cohesion of 2004 Act, delaying the arrival of the social plans in the unemployment figures. Required to present a "backup of employment plan" (PSE) including offers of reclassification, reclassification or voluntary departure leave, therefore that they dismiss at least 10 employees over a period of thirty days, the companies of more than 50 people know that they engage in a process long, rarely less than four or five months. For example, that the Enterprise Committee (EC) chooses to use a chartered accountant, as is usually the case, it can legally take less than 75 days between the first convening of EC and the letters of dismissal if the plan is more than 250 employees. But "if well done, it must provide up to two times more time", point the legal head of a large company. These delays related to the PES are often viewed as excessive by the leaders therefore that, as yet the example of Caterpillar France, the intention to dismiss is strong at the start and that the initial target is almost never misused in procedure.

The obligations related to the "safeguarding of employment plan" is felt particularly strong manner at this time where the possibilities of upgrading are dampened and where companies face brutal collapse of their order books. Social, slow, time is not suitable for the economic times, which has accelerated. However, succession Xavier Lacoste, CEO of Altédia, France, from this point of view, does not really exception: "With the exception of the Anglo-Saxon countries, it is not longer to proceed with collective redundancies in France not in Spain or Italy." These constraints have at least had hitherto for virtue to rein in the wave of the redundancies but the defect is that the worst is to come. The social plans will come swell the tide of unemployment at the time where the slim hope of a small economic improvement, will point in the second half of 2009 while undermining the morale of the household.