Professional integration after the Paris Olympic construction projects: a "rather positive" assessment

The construction sites for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games had a "rather positive" effect on the professional integration of workers benefiting from integration hours, according to a study published Tuesday, July 7 by Insee Ile-de-France, which examined their trajectory before and after.

Solideo (the Olympic works delivery company), responsible for building the permanent structures for the Olympics, had reserved, via the so-called "social clauses" scheme, 10% of working hours for integration companies for people who have difficulty accessing employment.

These jobs, mostly temporary positions in the construction sector, were held by men, "mostly young," "primarily of foreign nationality," and residing in Seine-Saint-Denis, the location of the largest construction projects, such as the Olympic Village in Saint-Denis. The program involved 3.700 people between 2017 and 2024 and some 5.500 employment contracts, according to the national statistics institute, which was able to trace the career paths of 2.158 of them.

"Beyond access to salaried employment for the preparation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we observe an improvement in the quality of employment over time: permanent contracts are gaining ground and the number of hours worked is increasing, signs of strengthening towards permanent employment," observes INSEE.

However, "the effects of the scheme remain heterogeneous and depend heavily on the type of employment contract signed as part of the integration process," notes the institute, which studied several cohorts of employees hired between 2021 and 2024 on "their future," six to eighteen months after their mission and in view of their previous professional situation.

Thus, INSEE was able to calculate that, excluding those already holding a permanent contract before the program, 9% of the cohort was able to obtain a permanent contract. "Women and higher education graduates are those for whom the return to stable salaried employment is most pronounced," the study emphasizes. "The proportion of beneficiaries retaining salaried employment remains significantly higher after one year: from 53% before the contract to 72% one year later, representing an increase of 19 percentage points," the study notes.

On the other hand, "precarious integration contracts (temporary work, apprenticeships, subsidized contracts, editor's note) are less likely to lead to permanent employment," continues INSEE.