In France, more advantageous aid for "modest" workers

France offers "a substantial increase in activity" for low-income workers while being less generous to the unemployed, according to an international comparison published Thursday, April 24, by the Social Ministries' Research Department (Drees).

The differences between countries lie in the way in which income from work and assets is redistributed among citizens, through different types of support such as housing assistance, minimum social benefits or even tax credits.

The Drees survey covered twelve countries: eight European countries (Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, Sweden), plus South Korea, Japan, the United States and Canada.

She compared the disposable income of working-age people (single or in a couple without children) who do not work and have no resources, and that of low-income workers who earn half the national average salary.

To make the comparison possible, the "standard" chosen is "in each country, the disposable income of a single person, a tenant who would earn the median salary (RDSM) there", explains the Drees.

After the studies, three large groups appear: a first "little protective" group composed of Poland, Canada and the United States which support "very little the unemployed and the destitute as well as the modestly employed".

The second group (France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Japan) supports "people without resources, but also those in employment earning around" the full-time minimum wage. These countries offer "a substantial gain in employment" thanks to a range of social and tax benefits specific to them.

The third group (Germany, Austria, Italy, South Korea and Sweden) "help people without resources in a proportion comparable to the second group, but they provide less support to the incomes of those on low incomes." "The gain at work for a low salary is therefore lower there than in the other two groups of countries," the researchers point out.

It appears that in its group, "France helps those without resources a little less" than the others but "a little more for low-income workers thanks to the activity bonus." It thus ensures "the highest disposable income for a low-income employee."

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.