"During his time in office, Ayrault and his ministers introduced a raft of progressive measures, including a reduction in the retirement age from 62 to 60 for some categories of workers, cuts in ministerial salaries of up to 30%, a rise in the minimum wage, the introduction of a 36-month rent freeze on new contracts in some urban areas, an extension of social rebates on energy, increased educational support for low-income families, the introduction of a system of subsidised employment for young people between 16 and 25, and the extension of an entitlement to free health care to an additional 500,000 people.Ayrault announced his resignation on 31 March 2014, the day after the "Socialists suffered heavy losses in nationwide municipal elections", and formally handed over to his successor Manuel Valls at the prime ministerial residence, the Hotel Matignon, on 1 April 2014.