France’s furlough system blamed for causing ‘laziness epidemic’

A French study has blamed Emmanuel Macron’s furlough system for causing a ‘laziness epidemic’.The French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop) claimed that 37 per cent in France are less motivated to work than before the pandemic. Sixty per cent of people said work was important to them in 1990. But over thirty-two years and a global pandemic later, the figure has reduced to only 21 per cent. The French furlough scheme may be partly responsible for the new figures, being one of the most generous programmes in Europe. The study claimed that the furlough policies caused an ‘exhaustion and laziness’ epidemic,’ as reported by the Daily Telegraph. In May 2022, France had an estimated 250,000 vacancies in restaurants and cafes, with businesses blaming the furlough scheme for allowing people to stay at home while working. France paid between 70-100 per cent of wages of people on furlough during the pandemic. The UK, in comparison, paid 80 per cent. The country’s employment minister, Muriel Penicaud, said at the time that this scheme would be replaced by a ‘long-term partial-activity scheme’ that is ‘likely to last a year or two’.France also introduced a temporary jobs support scheme in the crisis, under which the state fund the salaries of those prevented from working, called ‘activite partielle’.Back in 2000, France introduced the 35-hour work week, making any additional hours strictly overtime.The country also spends 59 per cent of its budget on the benefits system, making it one of the most generous in the welfare sector. Despite the latest findings, studies have also shown that French workers are more productive than UK ones.An international comparison from the Office for National Statistics published earlier this year found that France was between nine and 28 per cent more productive than the UK.