France: the government presents its Youth Plan, which contains financial aid for recruitment

The 750,000 young people who are preparing to enter the struggling French labour market represent a key priority for the new government, which "is committed to and as part of the recovery plan has set itself the objective of, enabling every young person to find a place in society". The question of how this goal can be achieved is being answered by way of adding a further €6.5 billion to the €3.5 billion already allocated to youth. On 22 July Prime Minister Jean Castex presented the Youth Plan, which aims to support the recruitment of young employees or apprentices through aid mechanisms that seek to lower the cost of labour as well as via measures that enhance training and the integration of young people who are finding it difficult to access jobs and the labour market.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

A ‘helping hand to speed up recruitment’. Compensation for social charges of up to €4,000 will be introduced for every young person recruited between August 2020 and January 2021. This ‘reduction in labour costs’ will target all employment contracts of at least 3 months in duration for young people under 25 years old, with salary levels of up to 2xminimum wages, and will take the form of quarterly payments over the course of 12 months. The government expects 450,000 contracts to be signed as a

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
France: Medef publishes guide to support career transitions and retraining
France's largest employer federation Medef has provided its regional representatives with a practical guide designed to support career transitions and retraining. Structured around three key tools...
6 February 2026
EU: Commission wants to facilitate entry of international ‘talent’
In a recommendation published on 29 January, the European Commission calls on member states to take a series of measures to attract and retain international talent. It targets holders of skilled...
France: social partners’ conference on work, employment, and retirement sets out roadmap
Until the summer, French social partners from both the private and public sectors will hold talks on labour, employment and pensions, with the aim of developing shared positions to inform public...
ENI incorporates just transition and AI into global agreement
On 13 January, Italian energy group ENI renewed its global agreement on international industrial relations, corporate social responsibility and the just transition with Italian unions CGIL, CISL...
5 February 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
France: Crédit Agricole to tighten remote work rules
Crédit Agricole is to adopt stricter rules on remote work from mid-March onwards. The rules will be tightened for employees, but the maximum number of days working remotely will remain unchanged.
2
2026 TRENDS – Pay transparency becomes a reality for European companies
mind RH is taking a look at the trends that will shape 2026. Many countries remain behind schedule in transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, leaving companies in a state of uncertainty as...
27 January 2026
3
TRENDS IN 2026 — Reducing workplace absence at all costs: a major challenge for Europe
Workplace absence is on the rise across Europe, particularly among women, older employees and, since the Covid-19 pandemic, young people under the age of 30. Faced with this growing problem, some...
14 January 2026
4
Vincent Lecerf (Orange): “Equality and diversity are competitive advantages for us”
Following the signing of a new agreement on professional equality and diversity in December, the chief HR officer of French multinational telecommunications corporation Orange Group, Vincent...
13 January 2026
5
2026 TRENDS — Social dialogue, a major challenge in the deployment of AI in companies
mind RH is analysing the trends that will shape 2026. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a force that goes far beyond efficiency gains and productivity improvements. It is reshaping tasks...
4 February 2026
6
France: transposition of the pay transparency directive takes shape
The transposition of the European directive on pay transparency into French law is entering a decisive phase. The Minister of Labour, Jean-Pierre Farandou, wants to present the bill to Parliament...
21 January 2026