Press release
Paris, 10 February 2025
Orange unanimously signs an agreement on Employment and Career Path Planning
- Anticipate, provide support and prepare for the future: Orange's management and representative trade unions have unanimously signed an agreement on Employment and Career Path Planning (GEPP) for the Group in France for the period 2025-2027.
- This agreement sets out the measures needed to anticipate staffing needs, particularly in high-growth activities, and develop the necessary competencies to meet the Group's challenges in a context of significant economic, competitive and technological evolution.
- Orange aims to recruit 6,000 permanent positions by 2027 and to welcome a minimum of 2,600 apprentices per year.
- The Group, which already provides over 1 million hours of training annually to its employees in France, is launching a new internal professional retraining program called "Orange Perspectives".
- Orange is also renewing several of its emblematic measures, such as the "take a break” leave ("congé de respiration”) and the Part-Time for Seniors (TPS) plan, all on a voluntary basis.
This agreement reflects the Group's strong commitment to high-quality social dialogue and a desire to adapt to the new challenges of the telecom sector by placing the collective and the expertise of Orange's employees at the center of its priorities.
It reaffirms that staff employability remains the primary asset that will facilitate the transformation of the company. Each employee has control over his or her career path and has the ability to make informed choices based on the evolution of activities.
On signing this agreement, Vincent Lecerf, Executive Director in charge of Group Human Resources, stated: "The company of tomorrow is being built right now. I am pleased that the quality of social dialogue with our employee representatives has led to an agreement that covers Orange's entire workforce in France, regardless of their profession or age. The result of this negotiation with social partners illustrates our shared ambition to invent a new social model that allows everyone to project themselves with confidence and serenity regarding their professional lives while addressing the Group's growth challenges”.
Supporting Orange's employees in their career choices to prepare for the company's future together
To address the challenges of innovation, competitiveness, operational excellence and skill development in high-growth activities, the Orange Group has sought to formulate an agreement that covers all employees, irrespective of their age, and that is differentiated by profession.
The initiatives that have been included in the agreement provide responses to specific situations and are designed to support the evolution of professions and skills. These include:
- Identification of job types related to the evolution of different activities and resource needs: each activity is categorized according to whether it is declining, balanced, under pressure, and/or emerging. Categories may be updated annually if necessary.
- Continuous skill development and internal retraining pathways initiated by the employee: each year, over 1 million hours of training are provided to the Group's employees in France. This new agreement proposes new programs, such as "Orange Perspectives”, which facilitate retraining towards balanced or emerging professions. Specific bonuses are offered to support such change, and a special "take a break” leave is also available to allow employees to explore new experiences by discovering other methods and work environments outside the Group.
- Internal mobility initiated by employees: this agreement aims to promote the fluidity of career changes initiated by the employee with structured and transparent processes as well as personalized support. Financial incentives are offered in the case of mobility from one Group division to another in France.
- Employees in mid-career: for employees in mid-career, aged 45 and over, specific provisions are planned regarding skill development and knowledge transfer, career guidance, healthcare, and the prevention of hardship.
- Employees in the later stages of their careers: the agreement renews the "assisted part-time" (TPA) plan, which allows employees to reduce their working hours while limiting the impact on their retirement benefits. It also plans to renew the Part-Time for Seniors voluntary plan for the period 2025-2028. This system will be adapted to anticipate and respond to the impact on team workloads and to promote the necessary knowledge transfer.
- Enhanced support for employees in a declining activity: at the employee's initiative, in addition to internal retraining pathways or supported internal mobility, staff also have the possibility of opting for an external retraining pathway via mobility leave.
- Inclusion: the agreement also strengthens support for caregivers with a specific work-time adjustment scheme for a duration of up to two years per dependent.
Committed to the integration of young people into professional life, Orange continues its actions in favor of apprenticeships and aims to welcome and train a minimum of 2,600 apprentices per year until 2027.
This agreement, conducted through dialogue and exchange with social partners, marks a significant step in Orange's commitment to the development of skills and the employability of its employees. By placing people at the heart of its strategy, Orange positions itself as a responsible and innovative player in the French professional landscape with the aim of meeting the needs of the Group's 300 million customers every day.
About Orange
Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with revenues of 39.7 billion euros in 2023 and 128,000 employees worldwide at 30 September 2024, including 71,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 292 million customers worldwide at 30 September 2024, including 253 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers. These figures have been restated to account for the deconsolidation of certain activities in Spain following the creation of MASORANGE. The Group is present in 26 countries (including non-consolidated countries).
Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies under the brand Orange Business. In February 2023, the Group presented its strategic plan "Lead the Future", built on a new business model and guided by responsibility and efficiency. "Lead the Future" capitalizes on network excellence to reinforce Orange's leadership in service quality.
Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA).
For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com and the Orange News app or to follow us on X: @orangegrouppr.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.
Press contacts:
Flaminia le Maignan; [email protected]
Tom Wright; [email protected]
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