“It’s a very nice surprise. 18 months ago we would never have made such predictions. » Martine Chong-Wa Numeric, regional director of employment center does not hide his astonishment at reading the results of the year 2021 in Pays-de-la-Loire. Despite the continuation of the health crisis and significant constraints on businesses during the first quarter, the recovery of the regional economy was “extremely fast”. To the point of seeing the number of job seekers (categories A and B) decrease by 33,440 in one year, ie a drop in unemployment of 14.8%.
“We are back below the pre-crisis level. The number of recruitment offers submitted to Pôle Emploi is much higher than in 2019, especially for contracts longer than six months. Martine Chong-Wa Numeric.
Young people and the long-term unemployed above all
This very marked recovery is mainly due to government stimulus plans, sustained household consumption and the attractiveness of the region. The specific schemes of Pôle emploi have also had “positive results”, in particular those aimed at young people and the long-term unemployed. Without forgetting the dynamism of certain sectors of activity very established in Pays-de-la-Loire. “Digital, agri-food, personal assistance and the transport-logistics sector have played the role of locomotive with many recruitments”, underlines Dominique de Gryse, deputy regional director.
The other side of the coin is that these same areas, to which we can add certain trades in industry and the hotel and catering industry, are once again hampered by real recruitment difficulties. Pôle emploi will therefore strengthen meetings between job seekers and companies in these sectors, as well as training proposals. Support for young people and long-term job seekers will also once again be a priority in 2022.
The Pays-de-la-Loire region has the second lowest unemployment rate in France (6.7% against 7.9% nationally), just after Brittany. If we look at the departments, it is Mayenne which is doing the best (5.3% unemployment), ahead of Vendée (6%) and Loire-Atlantique (6%).