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This paper deals with an unemployment benefit measure called “Activité réduite.” It opens up the possibility for beneficiaries of being, within the same month, both a jobseeker and in employment. Analysis of rules organizing the accumulation of unemployment allowance and earned income between 1983 and 2014 illustrates internal tensions and unclear justifications in this program. Since it calls into question the recognition of unemployment as a social risk, the role of unemployment benefit in labor market regulation, and the obligation to find a job, “activité réduite” is a way of highlighting confusion within unemployment insurance.