It was created in 1988 by Jean-Michel Belorgey, by the government of Michel Rocard (Socialist Party), and aimed at helping people who had the most problems with finding work.
The RMI has been fully replaced by the Revenu de solidarité active (RSA) in 2009, after a transition starting in 2007.
Recipients must fulfill the following conditions: According to an INSEE 2001 study, a quarter of the RMI beneficents were either employed or in a remunerated internship.
During the 21 months preceding the study, half of the beneficents passed through a period of employment, generally part-time, and a quarter only contrat à durée indéterminée (indeterminate length contract).
[1] In 1994, in Metropolitan France, the number of claimants of RMI was 783,436; ten years later (in June 2004), it had increased to 1,041,026.