We have updated our 'Guide to Unemployment Benefits in France' to reflect a number of recent changes in benefit entitlement.

According to the French National Audit Office the system of unemployment benefits in France is expensive, unequal and inefficient.

The OECD also weighed into the debate last month, saying very much the same thing, in an arguably harder hitting report.

Nevertheless, when employer and employee representatives got around the table last month to undertake their annual review of the system, inertia reigned, with very few significant changes made to the level of the benefits.

The main changes included in the regulations, effective from July 2014, are:

• A reduction in level of entitlement for certain unemployed persons;
  
• Introduction of 'rechargeable rights' to benefit;
  
• Toughening of the regulations concerning severance payments and benefits;
  
• New contribution obligations for those in employment reaching the age of retirement;
  
• Simplification of the rules concerning return to work and benefits;
  
• Adaptation of the calculation of benefits for temporary workers.

These and other changes are contained in our updated free Guide to Unemployment Benefits in France, a summary of which is shown below, with clickable links.