Unemployment and job shortages coexist

In many regions, companies report difficulties in finding workers, while job seekers remain unemployed. Surveys by Insee and France Travail reveal this paradox, with an unemployment rate of 8.3% in the second quarter of 2026 and 43.8% of companies facing recruitment challenges, leaving 2.28 million positions unfilled for 2026.

Employability involves more than just skills

Employability is not reduced to a resume. It refers to the ability to find, keep, and advance in a job, but this definition often places the main responsibility on the individual. However, skills, experience, networks, and self-confidence interact with employer expectations, working conditions, training offers, transportation, and public policies.

Companies also share the responsibility

An employability policy cannot ask only job seekers to adapt. Companies also have a responsibility to create accessible jobs, recruit differently, train people with potential, and attract and retain employees. This dimension is crucial for small businesses, which often lack the time and internal expertise to define their needs, value their jobs, or support new positions.

Local factors shape job opportunities

Each territory has its characteristics that must be taken into account to implement appropriate solutions. The same degree and experience do not offer the same opportunities depending on the place of residence. In rural or peri-urban areas, a few kilometers can become a decisive obstacle when public transportation is scarce and travel absorbs a significant part of the expected salary.

The territorial employability ecosystem

The "territorial employability ecosystem" refers to the set of interdependent actors who, at the scale of a territory, intervene in training, orientation, recruitment, social support, financing, economic development, and implementation of public policies. However, their simple presence does not guarantee the effectiveness of the whole; it is also necessary for them to be able to coordinate their interventions.

Existing solutions face fragmentation

In the two studied territories, many solutions already exist. Associations help write a resume or regain confidence. Training organizations adapt their programs. Local governments support mobility or access to digital technology. France Travail connects companies and candidates. Local structures also support small businesses without human resources departments. The problem comes less from the absence of initiatives than from their fragmentation.

Effective coordination is essential

A territorial employability policy does not consist of multiplying programs. It requires a shared diagnosis, explicit funding for coordination, and governance where companies, public services, associations, local governments, and concerned people confront their needs and dialogue around a common objective. The challenge is to go beyond the opposition between policies centered on individuals and those centered on places.