CSP contribution : a fresh start for the employee, but a lasting cost for the employer

9th april 2026

| Labour Law |

 Guillaume ROLAND           Hugo TANGUY         

The Contrat de sécurisation professionnelle (CSP) allows employees who are made redundant for economic reasons to benefit, after their employment contract ends, from a set of measures aimed at accelerated job placement, offered by France Travail.

When the employee accepts the CSP, their employment contract is terminated by mutual agreement at the end of a 21-calendar-day reflection period, and without notice.

When the employee has at least one year of seniority, the employer contributes to financing the CSP by paying France Travail an amount equal to the compensation that would have been due for the notice period if the employee had not joined the CSP, capped at three months’ salary.

Can the employer reduce this contribution if the employee quickly finds a new job, before the end of this theoretical notice period ?

The Labour Chamber of the French Supreme Court (Cour de cassation) answered this question in a recent ruling*.

An employer challenged the enforcement notice issued by France Travail regarding its contribution to the CSP, arguing that the employee had found a new job only one month after joining the CSP. It therefore claimed that the amount owed should be limited to one month’s salary.

Both the lower courts and the Supreme Court rejected this argument, holding that the employer’s contribution—corresponding to the compensatory notice payment the employee would have received if they had not joined the CSP—is due regardless of the employee’s situation after termination of the contract. It therefore cannot be reduced because the employee has found new employment.

Our opinion : The employer’s position was not unreasonable, since an employee who quickly finds new work will have made limited (or no) use of the CSP measures. However, the employer’s contribution is not paid directly to the employee, so it is logical that it is not linked to the employee’s individual post-termination situation.

*Cass. Soc., 18 March 2026, No. 24-21.643

=> For any advice on employment law or social security law, please contact Guillaume Roland, partner: g.roland@herald-avocats.com