The Easter agreement, recently concluded by the federal government, calls for a profound reform of our unemployment insurance system. Among the measures announced, the limitation on the time of benefits with the concrete consequence of the end of benefits for more than 100,000 people as of January 2026. Objective? Achieve an employment rate of 80% by the end of the decade. However, this change, presented as a lever to “encourage” people to return to work, risks, by itself, to further weaken people already in difficulty, in particular those facing long-term unemployment.
If the current reform really wants to promote their return to work, it must be accompanied by massive investment in targeted and individualized human support systems. Otherwise, this decision risks producing the opposite effect: increased precariousness, a feeling of abandonment and... a distance from the conditions in which these people would be able to find a stable job again.
The challenges of the long-term unemployed: loss of trust, skills and network
Indeed, long-term unemployment is not just a long period of unemployment. It often marks a turning point, at which the prospects for reintegration are sharply reduced: after a year of research, Job seekers are three times less likely to find work than those who have been looking for less than six months. Behind these statistics are complex personal and social challenges.
A prolonged period of unemployment firstly undermines the confidence of the long-term unemployed, directly impacting the way they present themselves to recruiters: skills deemed useless not mentioned on the resume, less convincing cover letters, lack of confidence during interviews, distrust of holes in the CV. The administrative burden required to maintain one's rights during this research adds an additional difficulty.
A long period of unemployment also depreciates human capital. Skills acquired through experience are lost if they are not put into practice on a regular basis. The absence of work leads to the absence of a professional network that reduces access to opportunities that are often hidden, and prevents a detailed understanding of the labor market. A good “match” between a position and a profile is based on the ability to know these opportunities and to understand the expectations of employers, knowledge that is difficult to acquire in isolation.
In this context, it is essential to think of support measures, which allow these people to build a sustainable way out of long-term unemployment.
The start of a journey often determines its direction
Long-term unemployment is not inevitable, but an insidious process that takes place gradually. As a solution, the sooner the intervention is, the more effective it is. Indeed, the first years on the job market play a crucial role in the career path.
If a young graduate remains unemployed nine months after graduation and is unable to find one in the following year, the probability of getting a job in the following two years falls dramatically (from 60% to 16% for men, from 47% to 13% for women).
This critical threshold marks the transition from temporary unemployment to a high risk of long-term unemployment. On the other hand, accessing a stable job quickly makes it possible to avoid this dynamic of dropping out and to be anchored in a sustainable career path. Hence the need to intervene early, to support routes before they become fragile.
A human response to a systemic challenge: betting on mentoring
We therefore need policies that prevent long-term unemployment and that, when it occurs, quickly offer concrete solutions to get out of it. Solutions that take into account the reality of people, their trajectories, their fragility, but also their potential. Mentoring is an effective response to this double challenge: to prevent and to support.
It is with this in mind that DUO for a JOB has been offering, for more than 10 years, a mentoring program for young people aged 18 to 33 from immigration outside the European Union — a particularly vulnerable public on the labour market and at the heart of this reform. The principle is simple, but extremely effective: for six months, an experienced and volunteer mentor accompanies a young person in their search for a job.
A human philosophy of support that makes it possible to put the person at the center, consider their career as a whole, build on their desires and strengths, and restore their confidence.
This bond of trust first of all makes it possible to restore self-esteem, an essential prerequisite for any professional integration process. Then, it offers concrete support to move forward: carrying out a skills assessment, writing a CV, structuring a cover letter, preparing for an interview... all know-how transmitted and mobilized throughout professional life. The originality of the program also lies in its sectoral matching: each young person is put in contact with a mentor from their field of interest, this allows young people to better understand the specific expectations of their field, to grasp the implicit codes and, above all, to start building a professional network.
The results speak for themselves: at the end of the program, one out of two young people finds a stable job (contract of more than three months) and more than 92% of young people say they have regained confidence in themselves. The first step in a positive and consistent career path in the professional world.
At a time when a large-scale reform aims to accelerate the return to employment, it is more essential than ever to combine it with solid, humane and ambitious supporting policies. Mentoring is a valuable tool for this: a concrete solution that transforms careers — for young people, for employers, for society as a whole.
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