The drop in unemployment has not caused a drop in poverty in France – Liberation

The drop in unemployment does not imply a decline in poverty. This is noted by the National Council for Policy Policy and Social Exclusion (CNLE), a body responsible for assisting the government in its field of expertise, in a study published this week. While the unemployment rate fell 10.3 % to 7.3 % between 2015 and 2022, the monetary poverty rate, defined as the share of people earning less than 60 % of median income, increased by 14.2 % to 14.4 % very slightly, according to data collected by the CNLE scientific committee.

The rate of material and social deprivation testifies to this, from 12.1 % to 13.1 % of the population over the period. This indicator measures the share of people who cannot cover at least five expenses in everyday life on a list of thirteen. Among them, having a personal car, heating your accommodation, having a week of vacation or having a regular leisure activity.

The share of people considering themselves poorly increased over the period, from 12.4 % to 18.7 %. The feeling of poverty has gained ground in 20 % of the population at the most modest standard of living, but also in the second quintile, notes the study. « The feedback of actors in the field converge on a diagnosis of the rise of tensions and aggressiveness of the social body in particular with the dematerialization of access to rights and the inadequacy of the scales of aid to needs, including for people in employment »notes the president of the scientific committee, Muriel Pucci.

The CNLE has identified three main reasons for disconnection between the evolution of unemployment and that of poverty: some of the jobs created have not led to the exit of poverty, the degradation of the situation of the inactive retired or invalid, and a standard of living of the most modest households which has progressed less than the threshold of monetary poverty.

The poverty rate of retirees has increased since 2017 and reached 10.8 % in 2022, while contrary to what was previously happened, the pension of new retirees has been since 2017 since 2017 « Slightly lower than that of all retirees »according to the study.

The CNLE is made up of the main institutional and associative actors involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. He is responsible for providing opinions to the government, ensuring consultation between the various actors and establishing follow -up indicators.