“A working household must earn more than a household living solely on benefits”: Jean-Pierre Farandou outlines the main points of the unified solidarity allowance.

A reform that emphasizes professional activity

The minister also mentioned a stated objective of the project: to strengthen incentives for employment. He reiterated that, all other things being equal, “a household where one member works should receive more than a household relying solely on benefits.” This approach, already mentioned in previous announcements, is generating discussion among the organizations consulted, some of which are calling for a precise assessment of its impact on real-life situations.

Initial analyses from parliamentarians

As early as July, the members of parliament tasked with studying the bill reiterated that this single social allowance would not constitute a complete merger of benefits, but rather a harmonization of calculation rules and an adjustment of the benefit scales. According to the scenarios presented, the reform could lead to a decrease in the poverty rate of between 0.6 and 1.1 percentage points.

However, the parliamentarians stressed the need to ensure that no low-income household would see its standard of living decline once the reform was implemented, regardless of whether they were employed or not. They also called for a thorough evaluation of its concrete effects on the target groups.