Youth employment: the CFE-CGC calls on the government to establish a framework for negotiations

The French Confederation of Management – ​​General Confederation of Managers (CFE-CGC) says it is in favour of opening negotiations between social partners on youth employment, provided that these are framed by the government.

"The situation is catastrophic, so we need to open discussions on the subject," said Christelle Thieffinne, president of the CFE-CGC, during a meeting organized by the Association of Social Information Journalists (Ajis).

Youth unemployment reaches 21,6%

This stance comes at a time when the situation for young people in the labor market has deteriorated. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), the unemployment rate for 15-24 year olds rose by 0,4 percentage points in the second quarter of 2026, reaching 21,6% of the active population. It increased by 2,5 percentage points year-on-year.

For Christelle Thieffinne, the urgency justifies the government setting the framework and objectives for the discussions. "There needs to be a government framework to put pressure on the system, because otherwise, we won't achieve much," she believes.

A negotiation within the framework of Article L1

The union leader wants these negotiations to take place within the framework of Article L1 of the Labor Code. This article stipulates that any government reform project, particularly concerning employment or vocational training, must be subject to prior consultation with representative employee and employer unions, with a view to potentially opening national and interprofessional negotiations.

In this context, the government is sending social partners a guidance document containing diagnostic elements, the objectives pursued and the main options envisaged.

The president of the CFE-CGC says she is not worried about government guidelines "that say we need to hire 10%, 15%, or 20% more young people." She acknowledges, however, that the political and parliamentary calendar could complicate reaching a swift agreement before the presidential election.

"Whether this can be achieved, in the agenda that remains until the elections, is indeed the most difficult issue," she emphasizes, while the parliamentary session is due to end in February and her program is already full.

Better support for young people during their recruitment

In any potential negotiations, the CFE-CGC would like to encourage employers to recruit candidates who do not yet perfectly match the skills required for the position offered.

According to the union, companies should "accept hiring a young person who isn't specifically trained for the open position." The CFE-CGC also advocates for developing partnerships between senior employees and young newcomers to promote training, skills transfer, and integration within the company.

This approach could affect many sectors facing recruitment difficulties and significant needs for skills renewal, particularly technical and industrial professions.

The flexibility of contracts is a source of disagreement.

The terms of the negotiation nevertheless remain a source of tension. The general secretary of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT), Marylise Léon, had emphasized the responsibility of trade unions and employers' organizations in "the integration of young people into sustainable employment".

The CFDT, however, rejects the idea that improving youth employment should come about through greater flexibility. "The CFDT is clear that we will not enter into negotiations by agreeing to the principle of promoting youth employment through greater flexibility," it stated before Ajis.

The unions had notably contested a proposal made in January by the Movement of French Enterprises (Medef), concerning an open-ended contract that could be terminated more easily to promote the hiring of young people.

Christelle Thieffinne also ruled out this option: "Going back and having a specific contract for young people, (...) with longer trial periods, all we can come up with is no."

The Medef proposes an initial diagnostic phase

For its part, the Medef (French Business Confederation) plans to launch a diagnostic phase focused on ways to increase the youth employment rate by 10% over the next five years. The details of this work are yet to be defined.

Any discussions will therefore have to bridge positions that are still far apart: the unions favour sustainable employment, training and support within the company, while the employers' proposals have so far focused more on contractual hiring conditions.