FRANCE: No impact on joblessness

08 November 2009

From John Mullen

I refer to last week's article on student job prospects in France. It seems to me that such a measure will have no effect whatsoever on unemployment; if nine out of 10 engineering students get a job quickly, and only seven out of 10 economics students, that does not mean that if far more young people take engineering companies will hire more people!

This measure is only one in a series which have an ideological aim - that of claiming unemployment is the fault of universities or of young adults. In our university and in many others there are more and more obligatory courses about "discovering the world of work".

I teach a compulsory course called "professional project" where students are encouraged to write better CVs and present themselves better at job interviews.

I am generally in favour of people writing good CVs but this has zero effect on unemployment. I used to work in the private sector and I could never imagine an employer saying "I was going to hire five graduates this year but these CVs are so well written I think I'll hire 10 instead"!

Neoliberal ideology is very present in this kind of initiative.

John Mullen.
Paris

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