This form of amicable divorce between a worker and his employer is becoming increasingly popular. However, to make savings, the Social Security budget bill, which is being discussed starting Wednesday in the Senate, plans to tighten conditions.
Will using conventional terminations be more complicated? In the draft Social Security budget, the discussion of which in a public session in the Senate began on Wednesday 19 November, the government intends to review the system introduced in 2008. The conventional split aims to put termination of a permanent contract based on a mutual agreement between the employer and employee. Cheaper than layoffs for companies, in return workers can receive unemployment benefits and compensation paid by their companies. In 2024, 515,000 contract terminations were signed, according to figures from the Ministry of Labour. Or 17% more than in 2019.
So much so that in 2024, they become the first item of unemployment insurance compensation, representing 10 billion euros of the total 37 billion distributed. To prevent entrepreneurs from using it too often, draft Social Security budget, income aspect adopted by the National Assembly, intends to increase the employer tax from 30% to 40% applicable to conventional termination compensation. He hopes to earn 250 to 300 million euros. An action that sent unions surging. Franceinfo is giving six workers who take advantage of conventional breaks the opportunity to give a second wind to their careers or take time for themselves.
Pierre continued his studies in real estate
At the age of 37, Pierre again entered the university. The engineer by training, director of construction site operations at a major real estate developer for seven years, signed a conventional termination in the fall of 2024 to reorient himself to real estate investing. “This idea coincided with my employer’s desire to make salary savings, due to the real estate crisis, he summarized. Our interests overlap.”
The Parisian enrolled for a master’s degree in real estate management. The 18 month course is taught part time allowing him to undertake voluntary asset management for the association and for “develop skills” in this environment. Her tuition fees of 22,000 euros were partly financed thanks to a check of around 15,000 euros that her employer issued when she left. “I cannot resign because I will not get compensation from my employer to reduce my training costs”he admitted. Pierre assesses this conventional split “beneficial”. “Being a student again at this age means questioning everything you thought you knew and reopening all aspects of your curiosity”he rejoices.
Justine “makes time” for herself and her children
“I have reached the end of this work.” After 17 years working as a florist, Justine retired in February, a few months after the birth of her second son. Concerned about the risk of exposure to pesticides, this thirty-year-old woman from Haute-Saône also wanted to find balance in her family life, which had long been marginalized due to the limitations of her work. “We work all holidays, including Christmas and New Year, we can’t work on the bridge or go on winter vacation because of Valentine’s Day”he smiled. Justine found a “similarity” with his employer and negotiated a termination of the contract. He received unemployment benefits of 1,400 euros, or 700 euros less than his salary.
“It was not an easy decision, my husband and I have loans to pay back and children to support.”
Seven months later, he has no regrets about his choice. “It allows me to take time for myself and my kids, be there for my youngest in a way I couldn’t with my first, and finally be able to have breakfast with the family on Sunday mornings.” he rejoices. Justine still plans to enjoy it “several months” this period with his children. “I will let the end of the year pass, and from the beginning of 2026 I will be knocking on temp agencies’ doors to send a hundred CVs if needed”he planned. He does not know in which sector he will retrain, but intends to put his personal life before his work. “I will no longer do the work I love, I will no longer want to invest myself the way I did”, he swore.
Rose creates her own tattoo business
Rose* has been thinking since then “four years” for its conversion into a tattoo. “I signed a conventional termination in May which allowed me to do it in the best condition”said this former school teacher in southeastern France. Conventional breaks were introduced in 2020 among civil servants, on an experimental basis until the end of 2025. Nearly 5,800 state civil servants had benefited as of September 1, 2024, including around 4,000 in the National Education sector, according to a government report.
Before leaving, the 38-year-old teacher had benefited from part-time work, which allowed her to intern at a salon at the same time and complete hygiene and safety training. Thanks to “safety net” finances offered by conventional breakthroughs, this trained graphic designer continued his project and began steps to create his own business. In addition to the 4,000 euro employer compensation received at the time of his departure, he will soon receive unemployment benefits, the amount of which he is currently unaware of.
“This conventional break is important to keep me safe if my plan doesn’t work.”
“If I resign, I am not entitled to be unemployed and at the same time I have to take on temporary work assignments”he explained. As for leave, a system that gives civil servants the possibility to stop working temporarily without receiving unemployment benefits, is “it will only be possible to find him (he) post in case of failure”. Initially, Rose planned to work as an entrepreneur in a tattoo parlor, perhaps before opening her own business. For now, he gave himself time: “I will draw conclusions in one year, in late June-early July 2026, to reassess the feasibility of the project.”
Miguel left his job two years before retirement
Miguel* is a dental technician “all (he) life”. At the age of 60, in April he left his small business of three employees where relationships became strained and where “decreased activity” has caused a “overstaffing situation”. “I took a conventional break because I didn’t want to stay in this structure”, testified Miguel, who assessed it “It is also a tool for employers to fire certain employees without firing them.”
“From the start, I knew that I would wait until I retired”at the age of 62 years. Miguel benefits from the maximum duration of unemployment compensation, which is set at 27 months for those over 57 years of age. In a study published in 2023, Unedic observed a peak in layoffs from conventional employment as the legal retirement age approached, corresponding to the duration of compensation provided to the elderly. An observation that prompted the current government to act in an effort to keep older workers in the workforce.
“It’s a shame to end your career like that”recognized Miguel. “But the position of a dental prosthetist is rare, he confirmed. Since I signed up for France Travel, I haven’t seen any ads in my area.” This sixty year old man from Loiret also testified about the difficulty of keeping up with the times at his age, in a profession that “has grown a lot”. “The advisors gave me maximum autonomy in my job search and made me understand that they would not bother me,” he assured. And in addition, with resignation: “Being unemployed is an annoying age, when I learn to do something else, I will still be retired.”
Sandrine found a way out of her “exhausting” job.
“I reached a stage where I was almost exhausted.” “Physical and moral exhaustion”, Sandrine* left her job as a coordinator in charge of welcoming refugees in an association in December 2023. For seven years, she traveled throughout the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and often made herself available “in the evening” to lead meetings with volunteers. “My salary is 1 800 the euro does not suit my responsibilities”regret this 57 year old worker.
“I ended up taking antidepressants. If I hadn’t had a typical breakup, I would have stopped,” assured Sandrine. “During the first months of my conventional breakup, I took care of myself”he recalled.
“I took time to analyze what had happened: the investment I had invested in this work and why I had given so much.”
“This is why we must maintain conventional layoffs, to safeguard employee well-being and give us the means to bounce back.” he insisted. Currently, Sandrine is feeling better and hopes to find a job “reasonable”, without sacrificing his health. But “Several offers I submitted were not responded to”sighed the fifty year old man, whose time was running out. “I have the right to be unemployed until April, so I need to find it quickly before I hit a roadblock.”
Marie “never regretted her retraining” as a nurse
Thirteen years after her conventional split, Marie* has yet to do so “never regretted his conversion again” as a college nurse. A project matured in the late 2000s, when it was still a charterer, responsible for organizing the transportation of goods. After a skills assessment, the fifty-year-old man obtained approval from his company to complete training as a childcare assistant. “It was this year that I discovered the nursing profession, he remembered. When I returned to my job, my employer expected me to request a conventional termination.” Marie left her job in 2012, four years after conventional layoffs took effect.
“At the time, this was still quite new, no one in the company understood the procedure.”
“I received 3,000 or 4,000 euros as employer compensation. It wasn’t a big amount, but it allowed me to get back on my feet and finance my three years of studies to become a nurse,” continued Marie. “We are lucky in France to have a system that gives us second chances, sized up the 51-year-old nanny. Because when you decide on a direction at 18 or 19, you’re still very young and you don’t have all the keys in hand yet.”
*Some first names have been changed at the request of interviewees.
