The transformation of Pôle emploi into France Travail is not just a name change. Since January 2025, new registration categories have emerged, and the criteria that each applicant fills out on the platform have taken on a heavier legal weight. In 2026, entering these criteria (type of contract, geographical mobility, expected salary, working hours) directly determines the scope of offers that can be refused, or not, without risking a sanction.
France Travail Registration Categories: Comparative Table Before and After 2025
The transition to France Travail has altered the very structure of the statistical categories. Two new categories, F and G, have been added to the historical system A-B-C-D-E. To understand what changes in the entry of Pôle emploi criteria, one must first assess the extent of the reorganization.
Read also : What is the importance of finishing touches in the garden?
| Category | Profile | Count Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| A | Unemployed, required to seek work | 3,295,100 |
| B, C | Reduced activity, required to seek work | 2,432,900 |
| D, E | Not required to seek work (training, subsidized contract, etc.) | 732,400 (net A-E minus A-B-C) |
| F (new) | Social pathway | 395,700 |
| G (new) | Awaiting orientation by the employment network | 630,400 |
In total, 6,460,400 people are registered in categories A to E in the first quarter of 2026 (excluding Mayotte). Categories F and G, unadjusted for seasonal variations, represent over a million additional individuals directed towards social programs or awaiting assistance.
Read also : Price comparison of Zara in Japan and Europe: what is the real difference?
The 0.3% decrease over the quarter (or 22,100 fewer registrants in categories A to E) masks a rarely discussed point: categories F and G absorb some applicants who, under the old Pôle emploi system, would have been counted in D or E. The comparison scope is therefore no longer the same.
Search Criteria and Reasonable Job Offer: The Binding Link
Under Pôle emploi, the criteria entered during registration (desired job, geographical area, minimum salary, type of contract, hours) fed into the personalized employment access project (PPAE). The law for full employment has tightened this mechanism by more closely linking the concept of a reasonable job offer to the criteria declared on the platform.
The consequence is direct: the broader the entered criteria, the greater the volume of offers considered reasonable increases. An applicant who accepts a mobility range of 50 km and two types of contracts (permanent and fixed-term) will see more offers presented to them, and especially more offers that they cannot refuse without solid justification.
Conversely, very restrictive criteria (one job only, a radius of 10 km, only full-time permanent contracts) reduce the flow of offers but expose the applicant to another risk: being considered insufficiently engaged in the job search during a check.
What Advisors Are Specifically Asking
Local experiments described by Centre Inffo show that advisors are now encouraging applicants to broaden their distance and travel time criteria when reclassification difficulties persist for several months. This is not a trivial piece of advice: the broadening of criteria changes the legal framework of refusals.
- The geographical scope can be increased if the local job market does not generate enough corresponding offers
- The type of contract accepted (temporary, fixed-term, permanent) affects the number of reasonable offers linked to the file
- The declared hours (full-time, part-time, night work) condition the automatic filtering of proposals
Increased Controls Since June 2025: Accelerated Suspension and Exclusion
Since June 1, 2025, France Travail has been applying new control rules stemming from the law for full employment. The targeting focuses on the consistency between the declared criteria and the actual job search. An applicant who indicates a mobility of 40 km but only applies within a radius of 5 km exposes themselves to a procedure.
Sanctions can now occur more quickly than before. The suspension of benefits or exclusion no longer requires the same number of intermediate steps. The follow-up process (summons, warnings) has been shortened.
Too Restrictive or Too Broad Criteria: The Double Trap
The system places applicants in a delicate balancing act. Too narrow criteria signal a lack of commitment in the eyes of the check. Too broad criteria generate a flow of reasonable offers that are difficult to refuse.
- A refusal of a reasonable offer without a legitimate reason can lead to a suspension of benefits
- Criteria deemed inconsistent with the professional profile trigger a verification interview
- Modifying the criteria during registration is possible but recorded in the file
Entering the criteria is therefore no longer an administrative formality. It constitutes a declarative commitment that structures the follow-up, control, and job offer proposals throughout the registration period.
Online Registration for France Travail: The Entry Steps in 2026
The interface of the platform francetravail.fr has retained the step-by-step logic inherited from Pôle emploi, but the weight of each field has changed. The personal situation, supporting documents, professional project, and search criteria now form a set locked by the PPAE upon validation.
Modifying one’s criteria after the initial registration remains feasible, but each modification is timestamped and visible to the referring advisor. Any subsequent restriction of the criteria may trigger an interview to verify consistency with the employment project.
The 2026 system thus links three elements that operated more independently under Pôle emploi: the declared criteria, the PPAE signed with the advisor, and the automated control system. This integration changes the very nature of the initial entry, which shifts from a descriptive approach to an act with measurable legal consequences.