Youth protest job law
The week's news at a glance.
Paris
More than a half-million people demonstrated in Paris this week against a proposal that would change job rules for younger workers. Under a bill being considered in parliament, companies could offer people under 26 flexible contracts allowing for layoffs on short notice during the first two years of employment. French labor law currently provides strong job protections for workers, with the result that it’s difficult to get a job but almost impossible to lose one. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said the bill would alleviate unemployment among the young, which, at 20 percent, is double the national average. Protesters said all workers deserve the same benefits.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why UK scientists are trying to dim the Sun
In The Spotlight The UK has funded controversial geoengineering techniques that could prove helpful in slowing climate change
By Abby Wilson
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK