Barnier admits frustration at having to pay off France's debt

"It is not very motivating, it is even quite frustrating for a Prime Minister to have to take difficult measures to reduce the debt, to reduce the debt," said the head of government.

He had come to attend a graduation ceremony in the 15th arrondissement of Paris for employees who had retrained in the health and social care sectors, sectors which are struggling to recruit, thanks to a course called "passerelles" initiated by social partners and developed by the giant private retirement homes Clariane (formerly Korian).

Medef boss Patrick Martin and CFDT deputy general secretary Yvan Ricordeau were present.

"Whether you are 9 months old or 80 years old, you have 870 euros to pay per year as a French person to pay the interest on the debt. This is not possible. This would be much better used in all the professions we are talking about, in your health establishments or for education," Mr Barnier stressed.

In this regard, he hoped that "we could recruit more because there will be hundreds of thousands of positions needed" in "all these human professions" in autonomy, social work, health, childhood, or dependency.

Accompanied by two ministers, Agnès Panosyan-Bouvet (Labor) and Paul Christophe (Solidarity), he promised to "simplify" the alternation mechanisms, which are "perhaps too much, perhaps a little complex".

But "simplifying does not necessarily mean making savings," he added, while the government plans in its draft budget to revise downwards the apprentice hiring bonus, which has made employers jump.

Apprenticeships have been one of the main drivers of the fall in unemployment in recent years. Accessible to young people aged 16 to 29, they are based on the principle of alternating between theoretical education and vocational training with an employer.