The French Are in No Hurry to Return to Work
France has one of Europe’s most generous coronavirus furlough programs. It’s going to be around longer than we think.
Last week France saw a nationwide day of protests to demand better working conditions for health workers.
Photographer: Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images
After bringing everything to a screeching halt in an all-out war against the coronavirus, French President Emmanuel Macron wants to get the economy going again. The dark draconian days of the Covid-19 lockdown are over, confirmed cases have continued to fall, and Monday marks a new roll-back of stay-at-home curbs as cinemas, museums and more schools reopen.
To do so, he’s harking back to themes from his 2017 presidential campaign as a pro-jobs candidate who would be judged on his ability to shake up the country’s rigid labor market and complex pensions system.“France must fully get back to work,” he said in a national televised speech on June 14. “We must work, and produce, more.”