Until 2009, it was an agency of the French government which provided unemployed people with social benefits.
In 2009, it was merged with the ANPE into the newly created agency Pôle emploi, and was turned into an independent association.
Both agencies were often referred to as "Unedic-Assedic" or "Assedic-Unedic" (with multiple variations on accents and capital letters).
There are six trade-unions officially recognized by the government, which are CGT, CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC, and three patronal organizations, Medef, CGPME et UPA.
The agency used set the amount of unemployment contributions (paid by a part of salaries).