L’Edito de Raphaël Legendre : Chômage au plus bas, l'ingratitude française ? - 03/04
·4 min
The episode opens with Raphaël Legendre presenting survey results from Odoxa for AGP, Challenge, and BFM Business on Emmanuel Macron's economic balance after 10 years of En Marche. 83% of French people judge Macron's economic record as bad overall. On growth, 85% rate it poorly, though Legendre notes growth has averaged 1% in France for 15 years, aligning with the country's potential growth. Regarding taxes, 81% see a bad balance, despite two-thirds of 62 billion euros in tax cuts between 2017 and 2023 supporting purchasing power for middle and lower classes. On purchasing power itself, 89% judge it bad, despite Macron's extensive public aid and checks, described as 'a true Keynesian on steroids.' On attractiveness, 70% rate it bad, though France has led European attractiveness rankings for six years. The most striking disconnect is on employment: after nearly 2 million jobs created since 2017, unemployment fell below 7% in late 2022, and the employment rate hit a 50-year high in 2025, especially among youth and seniors, yet 77% of French consider the fight against unemployment a failure. Legendre explains that unemployment fear has dropped to 6th-8th place in French concerns, far behind security and purchasing power. He attributes the negative perception to Macron being labeled 'president of the rich' early in his first term, starting with the transformation of ISF to IFI and a 5-euro cut to housing aid (APL), which had a bomb-like effect. Macron's personal style, including bravado and controversial statements like 'just cross the street to find a job,' further alienated the French, who are not broadly aligned with start-up nation ideals. The episode concludes with a bet that once Macron leaves power, the French will likely say 'it wasn't so bad,' as they have with past presidents, though that's always a different story.
