Recruitment Crisis Weakens Social Economy Sector in Grand Est

The social economy and solidarity sector (ESS) in the Grand Est region of France faces a severe recruitment crisis, impacting service continuity to vulnerable populations. Around 17,000 ESS structures employ nearly 200,000 people, yet nearly half (48.5%) of ESS employers report recruitment difficulties as their main challenge, according to a 2025 MGEN Solutions national survey. Besides hiring struggles, employers also face high turnover, workload pressures, and staff stress affecting 55% of employees. Key affected sectors include home care, early childhood education, and social animation, where staff shortages disrupt essential services for families, the elderly, and disabled individuals.

Structural barriers exacerbate the crisis, as public funding constraints limit the ability to improve salaries and offer full-time contracts, leading to prevalent part-time employment and limited career advancement. Marc Philibert, regional delegate of the Union of ESS Employers (UDES), emphasized the need to create full-time positions and enhance the image of caring roles like home care workers to attract more candidates.

In response, UDES launched the New Social Link Professions (NMLS) project in Grand Est, co-financed by Dreets Grand Est and supported by the European Social Fund. The initiative fosters communities of leaders sharing practices and developing multi-skilled job profiles, such as combining home care with social animation duties, to facilitate full-time employment and better job valuation.

With ESS accounting for nearly 13% of private employment in the region, 88% of sector leaders stress the importance of workers’ quality of life and working conditions. The recruitment crisis threatens sector stability and service effectiveness, prompting calls for salary enhancements, organizational adaptations, and strengthened regional recruitment and training efforts. These measures aim to stabilize the social economy workforce to maintain essential support services across Grand Est.