Overview
- From 1 January 2026, hiring aid is limited to employers with fewer than 250 employees for apprentices preparing level‑3 or level‑4 qualifications.
- The payment remains €5,000 for the first year of eligible contracts, rising to €6,000 for apprentices with disabilities, with disability-specific supports still cumulative.
- The Ministry of Labour says the restriction follows the legal baseline because the 2026 finance law has not been adopted.
- A decree will set final parameters once the finance law is passed, and any new rules will not apply retroactively.
- Recent Insee data show apprenticeship contracts fell 4.6% in Q3 2025 after earlier aid cuts, and support for many higher‑education alternance tracks is not maintained for now.