Jobs for Seniors

With 39% of its 55-64 year olds working in 2010, France’s employment rate for seniors is lower than the European average (46.3%) and well behind Europe’s goal of 50%! The ENGIE Group therefore adopted strong targets for its policy of employing older people, so as more closely to follow the pattern emerging from the extension of working life.

Employment of older workers: the second half of the career

In December 2009, ENGIE signed an agreement concerning the employment and careers of seniors, one of whose main goals is to keep its employees aged 55 years and over in work. For each worker aged between 45 and 55 years, the agreement envisages an interview concerning the second half of their career, during which the worker can express his or her expectations and future career plan.
50% of those interviews will have to take place before the end of 2012.

The older workers’ agreement concerns France and is the realization of the Group’s social ambition. It contains an undertaking to increase the proportion of employees aged 55 and over by 30% by the end of 2012.

Practical measures and strong goals

The agreement fixes goals based on quality:

  • anticipating the development of professional careers and preparing them better by generalizing the interview concerning the second half of the career. Lists of the workers concerned have already been produced and the first interviews took place in late 2010/early 2011. They will produce feedback. The procedure will then be generalized in 2011 and 2012;
  • promoting and facilitating knowledge and skill transmission in all its forms (tutorships, in-house trainers, in-house consultancy);
  • improving a worker’s employability throughout his/her career, particularly by enabling workers aged over 50 to attend professional training courses.

  • Progress guidelines have also been retained concerning the recruitment of employees aged 50 and over, the improvement of working conditions, the prevention of hardship, the adaptation of end-of-career situations and the transition from work to retirement.