Reduced support for short-time working on February 1, 2021, except for closed sectors

Welcoming that the partial activity "has proven its effectiveness in preventing redundancies" since the start of the health crisis, the Council of Ministers adopted on Monday an ordinance extending beyond December 31, and until the end of June maximum , the possibility of increasing the coverage rates.

On the basis of this order, a draft decree detailing the different rates, of which AFP has obtained a copy, will be published in a few days.

As of February 1, for the basic plan, employees placed in partial employment will receive an indemnity of at least 60% of their previous gross hourly compensation, against 70% currently (or 84% net).

The rate of the allowance paid to the employer will be 36% of the previous gross salary against 60% today, within the limit of 4,5 minimum wage.

As a result, the remainder to be borne by companies on the payment of nonworking hours will drop from 15 to 40%.

This reduction should have taken place on November 1, but was postponed by the government following the resumption of the health crisis this fall.

The decree also differentiates the situation of companies that are in sectors particularly affected by the crisis (tourism, culture, sport and leisure, hotels and restaurants, transport, certain businesses, etc.). These protected sectors were defined in a decree of June 29, 2020.

Companies that welcome the public and are closed by administrative decision to stop the spread of the virus (such as cinemas today) will be able to continue to benefit from 100% support until the end of June if necessary, with remuneration maintained at 70% gross for employees.

For other companies in these sectors, the remaining charge, currently zero today, will drop to 15% on February 1, then to 40% on April 1.

The ordinance and the draft decree also introduce the possibility of increasing the coverage on the basis of a geographical criterion for companies affected by territorial health restrictions as well as for those located in the catchment area of ​​ski resorts.