Angelique Goodall, regional director of Pôle emploi Réunion, was promoted to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor at the start of the year. Beyond his 25 years of personal commitment to employment, it salutes the work of its teams in this period of strong economic recovery, although still weighed down by the health crisis. Pôle emploi plays a determining role in the sharp drop in unemployment currently recorded.
You said you were “very surprised” to have been elevated to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor on January 1st. Why ?
I was totally unaware that personalities, around me, had worked for me to obtain this recognition. Of course, I am completely touched, honored, proud, and also aware of the responsibility that is mine. The Minister for Overseas Territories emphasized this in the letter he sent to me : this Legion of Honor highlights my function, my responsibilities, my commitment for more than 25 years to the employment mission, particularly in the territory of Réunion. I owe it to my teams, to my colleagues and my family.
Is your background characteristic of Reunion Islanders who left for the mainland to train in their youth?, gain experience until reaching managerial positions and who, return, benefit their native island ?
The courses are individual. There is no dogma on the matter. In the last generations, a growing number of Reunion Islanders have agreed to play in another court than Reunion Island. They went to train and develop experiences outside their island. Today, more and more young people are not only going to mainland France, but also abroad. After, some want to come back to pass on their knowledge to their territory, others make a different choice. For my part, if I serve Reunion with great pleasure and immense satisfaction, I hope that tomorrow I will be able to serve another territory with the same pleasure and the same desire. This is what a public service mission is all about: carrying it out in various places with the same desire.. But it is true that there is a little special emotion in serving the territory where you were born... On the question of positions of responsibility, I campaign very strongly to encourage those who want to, to dare and demonstrate their competence.
Don't you think that the good results of the year 2020 (step back 5,4% of the number of people registered with Pôle emploi) were also able to influence this recognition, the action of Pôle emploi necessarily plays a role in this ?
I can't say it. The results of Pôle emploi Réunion have certainly left their mark on the territory, especially in 2020 and 2021. Although the unemployment rate remains significant, since it is almost double that of the mainland, the results have never been so good. They are obviously not carried by a single person. They are the fruit of the work of the Pôle emploi Réunion teams., they demonstrate their commitment and motivation on a daily basis. It is this work of my teams that must be saluted through the distinction that honors me. This is why I am taking advantage of this gratification to thank them. I am particularly proud to have been at their side for almost five years, the first four years as deputy director of Pôle emploi Réunion, and for a year, regional director.
At the start of 2021, the unemployment rate was 17%. In 2013, it was still 29%. How to explain this success in a few years ?
The drop in unemployment is significant everywhere in France, not only in Reunion. The current strong economic recovery is the first explanation. A due relaunch, for a very large part, in terms of the government which did not hesitate to invest massively in supporting businesses and job seekers. Different devices have targeted niches of activity, encouraging companies to invest on their side. in parallel, support measures for job seekers, particularly those furthest from employment, have proven to be effective. I am thinking of the Recovery Pact, to the “One young person, one solution” Plan with the deployment of apprenticeships in very high proportions. It allowed young people to get their foot in the door in companies. These measures complemented the differentiated support measures that we have been developing at Pôle emploi for several years. The further a job seeker is from the job market, the more he needs personalized and reinforced support. Which also plays a role in the drop in unemployment, it is easier access to training in line with the needs of the job market. There was a very strong mismatch of skills to market needs in Reunion. With the Skills Investment Plan, the State and the Réunion Region placed their trust in us and we were able to benefit from an extremely large budget, just over 65 million euros in 2021, to purchase and develop training courses for job seekers. People without qualifications were able to train in skills sought by companies. Result : one in two people who were trained in this context found a job within six months of completing their training. Our success, at Pôle Emploi Réunion, has been at this level for two years.
Can we go further in reducing unemployment despite a demographic that remains dynamic?, with many young people arriving each year on the job market ?
We can go further. People still remain on the side of the road. A lot of effort is being made for people in difficulty. Specific measures for young people without qualifications, disabled people or for people residing in priority neighborhoods. The fact remains that there are still people profoundly removed from the labor market. I'm thinking of people aged 45-50, who have not had access to school or any training, some of whom are illiterate without access to digital, and who are today very marginalized. It is this segment of the population that proves more complex to emerge from a situation of unemployment. It requires special support, and stages which are springboards for integration carried by specific structures and devices, before arriving in the commercial sector.
Does the positive dynamic of employment also mean that what we call mobility, departure for the metropolis, is less necessary than before for the professional integration of young people ?
We are no longer in the situation of 20 or 30 years ago. A certain number of professions, today, no longer require training in mainland France. Diplomas have been developed locally. We are also working in this direction with the university. The school system and university, here in Reunion, can't, however, offer all qualifications. It all depends on the ambition and the field sought. I think of the sharp positions, which are limited in number and cannot be offered to all young people who would like them. The size and number of companies do not allow it. Another consequence of this reduced size, This is because it very often requires “wearing several hats” on the same position.. For a young person who has just obtained a diploma, it is difficult to be competitive in this type of job. Since then, for this type of job, geographic and professional mobility represents a considerable asset. It allows you to multiply experiences to broaden your skills in order to, if applicable, to come back and be able to access jobs with high responsibility and strong expertise.
With the pandemic continuing, Does the year 2022 represent a particular challenge for Pôle emploi? ?
We are preparing to be even more supportive of businesses this year. This is the key : listen to business leaders, HR, recruiters, to identify their needs and translate them into skills, in order to purchase and offer adapted training. Business trust is fundamental to us. Meeting their expectations is our common thread. They called on us a lot to recruit in the context of strong economic recovery and our teams showed their know-how. This will be the case again this year … Our expertise lies in the strength of our networks to successfully intermediate between supply and demand. The challenge of Pôle emploi, in all regions of France and of course in Reunion, is therefore a political issue. Our asset is to be an efficient public service, which has proven itself and which allows us to help those who need it most. It is important that we are recognized and supported by politicians, the institutions and the economic world who will act tomorrow in the territories. They will be able to count on Pôle emploi’s commitment to fighting unemployment and its expertise to resolve the employment difficulties experienced by our regions..
Employment center serving businesses
An online space
Employers can post their job offers, be guided in writing offers and access the first bank of profiles in France on pole-emploi.fr and thanks to the Je Recrute application (available on App Store and Google Pay).
Intense support
130 business advisors are, in the meeting, exclusively dedicated to employers to help them define the desired position profile and select candidates.
Recruitment action
A recruitment offer is unsuccessful ? The company is systematically contacted again within 30 days.
Recruitment solutions
Professional immersion, simulation recruitment method, hiring or training assistance systems.
With possible Pôle emploi funding.
Events
To facilitate meetings between employers and job seekers, Pôle emploi organizes events and trade fairs via its site salonenligne.pole-emploi.fr and its TousMobilisé operations. More information on : pole-emploi.fr
