Editorial: Le Monde

• Half of the French workers earn less than 2,091 net euros per month.
• The percentage of workers earning the minimum wage has increased from 12% to 17% in three years.
• The minimum wage has increased 12.6% since 2021, but the basic salary of employees and workers has only risen 9%.
• Erosion of purchasing power undermines workplace commitment and impacts consumption, the main driver of the French economy.
• The current exemption system for the minimum wage incentivizes employers to keep workers at this wage level.
• The state has a responsibility to encourage social partners to raise the conventional minimum wage in sectors where it is lower than the minimum wage.

Conclusion: There is an urgent need to review the system of social security contributions reductions on low wages and to explore all ways to incentivize better remuneration for workers in the name of social justice, worker dignity, and national cohesion.

---