Since the arrival of new therapies in the lives of people living with HIV, accessing to employment, finding a job again or keeping a professional activity are now possible options.

Since 1997, AIDES has been organising actions, through its network, in support of HIV-positive persons who are looking for professional integration. In 2000, three events led to the creation of the "HIV/Aids at Work" mission.

- The Conference on "Accessing to, Returning to and Keeping in Employment for HIV/Aids Infected People" of April 14th 2000 showed that the "Aids disability" has nothing in common with other disabilities. It is more discriminating because it is more image-bearing.

- The "HIV and Employment – Business’ View" survey, by AIDES and the Institut de l’Humanitaire (Humanitarian Institute) (July 2000) has showed how difficult it is for the different players in business to keep or introduce an HIV/Aids infected person in their firm. The situation is summed up by this simple percentage: 100% of employers surveyed state they won’t give any follow-up to a job interview during which a person would have mentioned his/her HIV positivity.

- In October 2000, the yearly barometer by AIDES and IPSOS showed that three persons out of four among people frequenting the AIDES network wanted to resume working and that 38% were whishing for a professional integration/reintegration service within AIDES. It was the top demand among AIDES users in terms of services.

In the face of this demand and in a context of ever increasing lay-offs or resignations, related to pressures or refusals to adapt a job to a HIV-positive employee, the "HIV/Aids at Work" programme was set up in April 2001.

Since then, this programme has been extended as part of the European EQUAL projects, through the "Chronic Progressive Pathologies at Work" project (2002-2007), in partnership with Vaincre la Mucoviscidose, Jeunes Solidarité Cancer, FNAIR , CFDT Services, Cinergie. The need to overcome a disability, the desire to be professionally stable, to be independent and self-sufficient are just so many aspirations that associations are now taking into account. This is why this project has been initially funded, in part, by the European Social Fund, the French Ministry of Health and Solidarity, and the Agefiph (Association in charge of the fund for the professional integration of disabled people).