Young workers facing the housing crisis

Why is it difficult to find accommodation? What solutions can you find to find accommodation more easily? Does housing contribute to the attractiveness of a city? Is housing an important argument in an electoral program? What is the impact of housing on employment? So many questions that this study seeks to answer.

Housing, the eternal litany

42% of 18-34 year olds surveyed consider that the price of rent is the main reason explaining their difficulty in finding housing. This is followed by the housing shortage (21%) and administrative procedures (18%).

For Ronan Chastellier, sociologist and lecturer at Sciences Po Paris: “Each school year, the litany of rental housing comes to the forefront. Worse, the scarcity of rental supply has further worsened this year with the difficulties encountered by the real estate market. And if for a student it becomes very complicated to obtain accommodation, the problem now shifts to “young professionals”. While they are supposed to have a positive experience by obtaining their first job, their enthusiasm is dampened by the difficulty in finding accommodation. A sort of front of anger is emerging among 18-34 year olds, a situation to which the public authorities remain strangely impervious. »

For 18% of 18-34 year olds, the housing crisis is attributable to the inaction of public authorities.

Study carried out on a sample of 1029 people representative of the French population aged 18 to 50. 50% of the sample is aged 18 to 34.

Rethinking the housing supply and its access

56% of respondents believe that the solution best suited to responding to this issue would be to encourage the implementation of new accommodation concepts adapted to the specific needs of each user (students, young professionals, families, single-parent homes, seniors, ...).

For Ronan Chastellier: “Young working people express a desire to reinvent traditional housing. They expect a friendly atmosphere conducive to exchange, which is combined with spaces of intimacy and attention. A wish that can be put in parallel with their interest in the concepts of “sharing”, “partition” and “co”. »

45% of those questioned think that it is also a question of encouraging the transformation or renovation of vacant buildings into housing.

For Ronan Chastellier: “We sense a form of anger or tension on the part of young workers, who do not understand why the vacant buildings would not be intended for them, or at least transformed into housing. For them, it is more than administrative rigidity, it is injustice. »

37% of them believe that it is necessary to promote construction programs dedicated to young workers.

For Jean-Baptiste Mortier, CEO of The Boost Society: “The figures are clear, the youngest expect housing adapted to their constraints. They also want us to put an end to this fabulous waste, too often overlooked: vacant buildings! Let's transform these empty buildings, which are gathering dust, into housing. The French are just waiting for that. Unfortunately, the common sense of our fellow citizens still too often clashes with the absurdity of our administrative constraints. For a mayor, granting a building permit is already a feat in itself, so modifying a PLU let's not talk about it... Let's sit around the table and open consultations with elected officials. We, private sector players, are ready to launch programs that meet the specific expectations of their respective territories. It is in the interest of the nation. »

46% of respondents believe that one of the solutions, to facilitate access to housing, would be to grant a subsidy in return for services provided to the community.

For Ronan Chastellier: “We see that young workers who are having difficulty finding housing are ready to do anything to put an end to this situation, including giving their time to provide services to their municipality. »

Housing as a lever of attractiveness for cities and a political argument

82% believe that a city that offers housing specifically designed for workers and students strengthens its attractiveness.

For Ronan Chastellier: “Proposing a housing offer adapted to students and young employees, as well as to different categories of the population (families, elderly people) is a way to improve the image, dynamism, creative energy and lively aspect of his city. And this is especially true since the youngest express a real desire for gregariousness and community. A new form of rental sociology is emerging. New rentals, more than traditional housing, are understood as “social fixers” which deconstruct the standardized and generic approach to housing, by incorporating spaces responding to new lifestyles. »

70% would be more likely to vote, in the municipal elections, for a candidate who rehabilitates vacant buildings to transform them into housing.

For Ronan Chastellier: “The subject is not only human or social, it becomes political. Young professionals don't care about ideological positions, they expect something "concrete": housing. For young people, transforming unoccupied buildings into housing thus becomes a political act. This new political meaning of housing can probably become a decisive electoral argument in the context of political confusion in the next municipal elections. »

Housing, the keystone of the local economy and employment

83% of 18-34 year olds surveyed think that a sufficient and affordable housing supply reinforces the attractiveness of a business located nearby.

For Ronan Chastellier: “Attaching importance to housing when you are a company is a way of showing that you understand the deep desires of employees, of showing that you are aware of the difficulties they must face. »

41% of respondents say they have already refused a job due to difficulties finding accommodation, a figure which rises to 45% for 25-34 year olds.

For Ronan Chastellier: “This is a shocking figure, which clearly shows the economic and not only human or social impact of the absence of political initiative for rental housing and even more so that of 18/35 year olds. How can we envisage any professional mobility for a generation that is fond of nomadism with these recurring housing difficulties? »

For Jean-Baptiste Mortier: “It’s no longer a secret that young people are having real difficulties finding housing. Added to the price is the shortage of housing, administrative procedures and ever more restrictive guarantees. Faced with this, the inaction of the public authorities is glaring. However, the issue is no longer just human or social, it becomes political. How can we expect mountains and wonders from a generation forced to refuse a job for lack of housing? Let's get out of this lethargy and roll up our sleeves to build a suitable and sufficient housing supply. It is the only solution to offer as many people as possible the opportunity to develop and flourish. Make no mistake, this is not only a question of well-being, it is also an economic and employment issue for many territories and many businesses. »

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.