Companies are called upon to finance apprentice contracts for those with a Bac+3 or higher

Such a contribution was planned for in the 2025 state budget, but its amount had been postponed until a decree. It is expected to bring in between 93 and 140 million euros, according to Les Echos, a figure confirmed on TF1 by government spokesperson Sophie Primas.

"It is important to know that apprenticeships have tripled in our country since 2018," she recalled.

The development of apprenticeships is "a very, very great success which exceeds the financial capacities of the State today," the spokesperson justified, adding that she believes that "it is a solution which satisfies the social partners."

Medef (French employers' association) President Patrick Martin spoke on Tuesday of a decline of "20% to 30%" in apprenticeship contracts since the beginning of the year, while the aid for hiring an apprentice has fallen since January 1 from 6.000 euros to 5.000 euros for SMEs and to 2.000 euros for companies with 250 or more employees.

Economist Bruno Coquet (OFCE) estimated national spending on apprenticeships in 2023 at 24,9 billion euros, or 26.000 euros per apprentice, including the social and tax exemptions from which these contracts benefit and unemployment insurance costs.

The number of contracts that started in 2024 amounted to 878.900 (compared to 851.760 in 2023) in the public and private sectors, while 1,043 million contracts were in progress as of December 31, compared to 1,016 million a year earlier.