The question of senior employment has been at the center of public debate in France for several years. Aware that France lags behind its European neighbors in terms of including seniors in the labor market, the government and social partners have entered into negotiations leading to the signing of the ANI (National Interprofessional Agreement) on November 14, 2024, followed by the law of October 24, 2025, which enacted the transposition of the agreement, part of which is dedicated to the employment of experienced workers. This agreement aims to secure the career paths of older workers and encourage them to remain in employment.
A gradual expansion of Generation S
The aging of the working population is a structural trend in the French labor market. By 2035, the number of employees aged 45 and over is expected to increase by nearly 15%, due to the demographic weight of the baby boom generations and the extension of careers. This development requires employment policies and management practices to be adapted, both at company and industry level.
Despite recent progress (in 2024, 60.4% of 55-64 year olds were in employment, compared with 58.4% in 2023, reaching a historically high level since 1975), France still lags significantly behind the European average in terms of senior employment, which stood at 63.9% in the European Union in 2023 (INSEE, Eurostat), with a particularly marked gap for those aged 60-64.
Due to their low activity rate, seniors have a lower unemployment rate than the working population as a whole, mainly because of retirement. In the fourth quarter of 2024, it stood at 5.4%, compared to 7.3% for the working population as a whole. However, this data masks a more worrying reality: when a senior citizen loses their job, they are more likely to experience long-term unemployment. At the end of 2023, job seekers over the age of 55 spent an average of more than 520 to 700 days registered with France Travail, compared to around 340 days for those aged 25-49 (France Travail).
The objectives pursued by the ANI on the employment of seniors
The ANI agreement on senior employment is part of a strategy to secure career paths at the end of working life. Its primary objective is to combat long-term unemployment, which disproportionately affects older workers. By promoting job retention and a return to work, the agreement seeks to prevent people from dropping out of the labor market permanently.
A second major objective is to reduce the periods during which certain people, particularly seniors, find themselves without a job or a pension following a career break. These situations generate increased economic and social insecurity, which the ANI aims to reduce through support and transition measures.
Even before the law transposing the ANI was enacted, two decrees had already set this process in motion by lowering the age of access to progressive retirement from 62 to 60, effective September 1, 2025. This measure foreshadowed the social partners’ desire to promote more flexible and better-organized end-of-career arrangements.
Major changes introduced by the ANI
One of the main advances of the ANI is the obligation to negotiate on employment, work, and improving working conditions for experienced employees. At the professional branch level, negotiations must be held at least every four years, or every three years in the absence of an agreement. Companies with at least 300 employees will also be required to negotiate on these issues, regardless of the GEPP, unless a method agreement provides for a different frequency.
The ANI also introduces, on a trial basis for five years, a contract to promote experience (CVE). This is a permanent contract intended for job seekers registered with France Travail who are aged 60 or over, or 57 or over under an extended branch agreement. This contract is subject to specific conditions, in particular that the beneficiary must not have been an employee of the company during the last six months and must not be receiving a full basic retirement pension. In order to encourage employers, a three-year exemption from the specific employer contribution of 30% on retirement benefits is provided for.
In addition, the ANI is creating a dedicated career path interview. This interview will focus on skills, training needs, career prospects, and the activation of the CPF. For employees aged 58 and over, it will also address end-of-career options. Held at the time of hiring and then every four years, it will result in an assessment every eight years, which may lead to an obligation to contribute to the CPF in the event of non-compliance by the employer.
Finally, the agreement lowers the age of access to progressive retirement to 60. It provides for the possibility of maintaining all or part of the remuneration by allocating the retirement allowance and imposes new obligations on the employer to justify any refusal. These provisions reflect a clear desire to make the end of a career a chosen and secure stage, in the interests of senior employment.
KYU supports professional branches in anticipating and preparing for upcoming negotiations on end-of-career and long-career issues.
Sources :
- Emploi, chômage, revenus du travail, Insee, Editions 2023 et 2024 https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7767107?sommaire=7767424
- Qui sont les chômeurs de longue durée, Observatoire des inégalités, 2025 https://www.inegalites.fr/Qui-sont-les-chomeurs-de-longue-duree
- Loi du 24 octobre 2025… social, Vie publique, 2025 https://www.vie-publique.fr/loi/298484-loi-du-24-oct-2025-transposition-ani-emploi-des-seniors-dialogue-social
