Stéphane Carcillo appointed to head the group of experts on the minimum wage

Game of musical chairs between economists. A few months after the appointment of Gilbert Ce at the head of the Pension Orientation Council (COR), his replacement as chairman of the committee of experts on the minimum growth wage (Smic) is now known. This is Stéphane Carcillo. The information was made official in a decree published on February 2. The researcher, contacted in December by the former Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt, was until then an affiliated professor in the economics department of Sciences Po and also headed the Employment and Income division of the OECD. Questioned by Le Figaro, he said he was “honored” by this designation.

Previously, this economist held several positions, including that of advisor to the Minister of the Economy at the start of Nicolas Sarkozy's mandate. From 2017, it was attached to Matignon through the Employment Orientation Council (COE) and the Economic Analysis Council (CAE). In January 2021, he was notably the author, with Pierre Cahuc and Camille Landais, of a note calling for a rethink of unemployment insurance. Among their recommendations, the three economists propose reforming the system to make it more countercyclical - that is to say more protective in periods of contraction in employment and more incentive when the economy improves. The idea will be taken up by the government in a law that came into force in January 2023. From now on, the maximum duration of compensation is reduced by 25% when the unemployment rate falls below 9%.

Taking the head of the group of experts on the minimum wage will give new visibility to Stéphane Carcillo. Beyond its economic role, the institution has a political dimension. It is she who is responsible for advising the executive in its choice of whether or not to give a “boost” to the minimum wage every January 1. Since its creation fifteen years ago, in December 2008, at the initiative of Nicolas Sarkozy, its response has always been negative. A regularity which has made it the target of unions and certain political parties. “We don't need a committee of experts if it's always to say that we don't need a helping hand,” said the number one of the CGT, Sophie Binet, at the end of the social conference convened by Emmanuel Macron in mid-October. However, “its role goes well beyond,” points out Stéphane Carcillo, “it also looks at career paths and the question of purchasing power at the minimum wage level. It is particularly interesting in this context of debate on the question of low-wage traps.