After the yellow vests, is there a possibility that the reforms will come to a standstill in France?

Ma ny observers fear that the reforms will come to a halt in the wake of the yellow vest crisis in France. We do not share this concern, and our arguments are as follows: France’s situation will improve only if its employment rate picks up; without an upswing in the employment rate, structural unemployment cannot fall, public finances cannot improve, an d inequality cannot be reduced; The employment rate is mainly linked to labour force skills and the weight of companies’ social contributions; Reforms that improve skills (reforms of education, vocational training and apprenticeships) and a reduction in companies’ social contributions have already been implemented and are not called into question. Important reforms that can restore the employment rate have started in France, the other reforms (unemployment benefits and pensions, for example) are less important with respect to the key objective, which is an upswing in the employment rate.