Labour market information: France

The population of France was 68.0 million inhabitants as at 1 January 2023. During 2022, the population increased by 0.3 %.

65.8 million reside in metropolitan France and 2.2 million in the five overseas departments. The population increased by 0.3 % in 2022. 17.3 % of the population is under the age of 15 and 21.3 % is over the age of 65.

In parallel with employment, the active population is also growing, leading to a stabilisation of the unemployment rate at 7.1 % in the first quarter of 2023, the lowest since the 2^nd quarter of 1982. In 2022, 73.6 % of people aged 15 to 64 were economically active. The vast majority of people in employment were in formal employment (86.9 % in 2022) with a permanent contract or were civil servants (72.4 % of people in employment).

In 2019, there were 400 000 cross-border workers working primarily in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium.

The growth in planned recruitments is driven by establishments with fewer than 10 employees (+ 4.9 %), while the number of intended hires is decreasing in larger establishments.

In terms of sectors of activity, the number of planned recruitments is increasing in personal services ( + 1.8 %), particularly in accommodation and catering (+ 8.3 %) and in industry (+ 0.8 %). Personal and business services continue to represent a significant portion of anticipated recruitments.

Hiring intentions for 2023 are high for:

• Hospitality and catering services: coffee and restaurant servers (122 000), general-purpose catering staff (110 000), cooks (67 000), hotel employees (54 000);
• Agricultural trades: winegrowers/tree growers/pickers (121 000), farmers/agricultural workers (92 000).

In 2023, employers anticipate recruitment difficulties for 61 % of their projected hires, marking a 3.1-point increase compared to 2022. The rise in anticipated recruitment difficulties affects most professions, especially those in the hotel and catering sector, security and surveillance agents, cashiers and self-service staff, and certain industrial worker roles.

In 2022, 35 % of establishments reported that recruitment times exceeded initial estimates. Temporary activity surges remain the primary reason for recruitment.

Nearly half of employers are experiencing recruitment difficulties and have hired profiles different from those initially sought.

The recruitment difficulties experienced in 2022 were greater in health and social work, industry, personal services and construction.

The diversity of the available job offers translates into recruitment opportunities for candidates of all qualification levels.

Source: INSEE and Labour Needs (BMO) Survey 2023, Pôle Emploi

The most sought-after occupations in 2023 can be classified into four main groups:

• 1^st group - seasonal and difficult-to-fill recruitment projects

This group includes hotel and catering professions: waiters and waitresses, cooks, hotel staff and general-purpose kitchen staff.

• ^2nd group – non-seasonal and difficult-to-fill recruitment projects

This group includes care and support professions, including home help and domestic cleaners, nursing auxiliaries and nurses. For these three jobs, recruitment difficulties are significantly above average.

• 3^rd group – seasonal and less difficult-to-fill recruitment projects

This group includes agricultural occupations (with a strong reliance on seasonal recruitment), handlers and porters, self-service employees, socio-cultural animation workers and artists.

• 4th^group – non-seasonal and less difficult-to-fill recruitment projects

This group includes cleaners and secretaries, for which recruiters anticipate fewer recruitment difficulties compared to all professions, with less seasonal recruitment.

Serious difficulties are also anticipated for:

• Construction trades: roofers, plumbers/heaters, joiners, fit-out and insulation workers and bricklayers.
• Careers in automotive repair and industry: body repairers, skilled mechanical maintenance workers, boilermakers, sheet metal workers, locksmiths and skilled metal-cutting workers.
• Home help professions, medical technicians or medical equipment specialists.

Source: Labour Needs (BMO) Survey 2023, Pôle Emploi

The 20 most sought-after professions by job seekers

Source: STMT (Labour market statistics) Pôle Emploi, 2^nd quarter 2023

With an unemployment rate of 6.2 % in the first quarter of 2023, Corsica has a total of

343 700 inhabitants in 2020. Of the population aged 15 and above, 27.0 % are retired and 18.6 % are employed. 26.8 % of the island’s population has a higher education degree.

The working-age population aged 15–64 is 209 170.

Employed individuals are mainly concentrated in trade, transport and miscellaneous services (45.2 %), public administration, education, healthcare and social services (35.7 %) and construction (10.6 %).

At the end of 2020, there were 17 170 establishments operating in the territory, providing 115 430 salaried positions, mainly concentrated in the commerce, transport and other services sectors (65.4 % and 43.7 % respectively).

Industry and agriculture are underdeveloped.

15.7 % of establishments have no employees and 87.0 % are VSEs (0 to 9 employees).

Links: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2011101?geo=REG-94#chiffre-cle-1

The main sectors recruiting are:

• Accommodation and catering
• Trade – automobile and motorcycle repair
• Health and social work

The majority of hires are on fixed-term contracts.

28 % of recruitments were for permanent positions in the first quarter of 2023.

Links: source ACOSS https://pn190-cadrep.prod02.k8s.pole-emploi.intra/panorama/REG/94

As of the first quarter of 2023, there were 18 950 registered jobseekers in the ABC category, of which 10 220 were registered in the Haute-Corse department (54 %).

55 % are women, almost one third of applicants are aged 50 or over.

The share of young people aged under 25 is 12 %.

Links: https://corse.dreets.gouv.fr/Demandeurs-d-emploi-inscrits-a-Pole-emploi…

Brittany is estimated to have 3 429 822 inhabitants as at 1 January 2023, according to INSEE, placing it 9th among French regions in terms of population.

The most populous department is Ille-et-Vilaine with 1 118 600 inhabitants, followed by Finistère with 926 065 inhabitants, Morbihan with 777 383 inhabitants and Côtes d’Armor with 607 834 inhabitants.

Over the last three years, Brittany’s population has increased by 56 047 habitants. The departments of Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan have experienced the highest population growth rates at 2.7 % and 1.7 % respectively. Côtes-d’Armor grew by + 0.7 % and the Finistère by + 1 %.

(Source: population estimate as at 1 January 2023 by INSEE)

Job creation has slowed in the service sector with the exception temporary positions, with a slight increase of 0.1 % (+ 260 positions) following a 0.5 % increase in the previous quarter. Job creation has also slowed in trade, with + 0.1 % compared with + 0.6% in the previous quarter. In industry, the number of employees continues to grow, with an increase of + 0.2 %, after + 0.3 % in the third quarter. In construction, job creation remains dynamic with an increase of 0.3 %, on the heels of a 0.6 % increase in the third quarter.

(Source: URSSAF Bretagne)

242 490 jobseekers were registered in the first quarter of 2023 in Brittany

Senior job seekers accounted 27.2 % of all those registered. Young job seekers under the age of 25 (12.5 % of registrants) decreased by - 0.7 % over the quarter and - 1.3 % over the year.

Benefiting from an exceptional natural terrain, Brittany has developed a remarkable level of agricultural and industrial activity. Key sectors of strength include the agri-foodstuffs and the agri-industry, the naval industry, digital technologies, renewable energies, and biotechnology. These sectors stand out for numerous innovative projects. The city of Rennes and its metropolitan area are focal points for high-level research, giving rise to numerous research centres, competitiveness clusters, and business clusters.

(Source: Pôle Emploi)

The top 10 most sought-after professions by employers in 2023

163 344 recruitments were planned by Breton companies for 2023, 14.6 % of which were in accommodation and food services, 12.1 % in scientific, technical, administrative and support services and 11.9 % in healthcare and social work activities.

(Source: Pôle Emploi – Survey of Main labour needs carried out in the last quarter of 2022)

2023

• The 10 most sought-after professions by job seekers in the 1^st quarter of 2023

(Source: Pôle Emploi – Labour market statistics)

As at 1 January 2023, the population of the Loire Region is estimated at 3.9 million inhabitants. The region has experienced sustained population growth over the past 20 years (+ 0.8 % on average per year), which is higher than the national average for mainland France (+ 0.5 %). It has 345 517 establishments employing more than 1.7 million employees and self-employed individuals, constituting 5.9 % of the national workforce. The number of employees has increased by 10.5 % over the last 10 years.

With 272 577 jobs in industry at the end of 2021, the region accounted for 8.2 % of the sector’s national workforce, a much larger proportion than its overall economic weigh. The Loire regions accounts for 5.9 % of all jobs in mainland France. In terms of the number of industrial jobs as a proportion of total employment, at 15.8 %, the Loire ranks 1st among the regions.

The agri-food industry is the main employer within the industrial sector in the Loire, ahead of metalworking, machine manufacturing, transport materials, plastics engineering and rubber. The regional economy also relies on high-value-added sectors such as aerospace and shipbuilding.In addition, the region has traditionally been highly specialised in the fashion industry (textiles, clothing, leather, shoes, leather goods). The Loire region is also one of the leading furniture manufacturing regions, which is more generally part of the region’s well-developed wood industry. Finally, another distinctive feature of Pays de la Loire is its activity in the oil sector, as the Donges refinery is located in the region.

The types of jobs offered vary. Both skilled and unskilled jobs are sought after in construction. There is a specialised workforce in industry, for skilled worker profiles. The number of executives is also rapidly increasing in the region, due to the presence of large company headquarters and the strong growth in digital technology, particularly in the Nantes metropolitan area.

The region also has nine competitiveness clusters:

1. Atlanpole Biothérapies (Nantes): cellular therapy and gene therapy, immunology/immunotherapy.
2. Elastopôle (Nantes): materials, environment;
3. EMC2 (Nantes): metal assemblies, complex composites;
4. iD4CAR (Nantes): vehicle materials and architecture, on-board systems intelligence;
5. Images et réseaux: digital innovation at the crossroads of technology and use;
6. Mer Bretagne Atlantique (Grand Ouest): maritime safety and security, ships and boating, energy resources and marine mining (deep offshore and renewable marine energy), biological marine resources (fishing and aquaculture, blue biotechnology), environment and coastal development, ports, maritime infrastructure and transport;
7. Valorial (Grand Ouest): milk and derived products, egg products and derived products, meat and derived products, food microbiology, functional ingredients, health nutrition, processes and packaging;
8. Végépolys (Angers): varietal innovation, plant protection, plant and health, horticulture and urban landscape;
9. S2E2 (Nantes): electronic components, communicating and intelligent systems.

The majority of planned recruitments are in services. Recruitment challenges continue to grow, indicating numerous job opportunities in the region.

The jobs to be filled, for which there are recruitment difficulties and which are often for permanent positions, come from various sectors:

• business and personal services: cleaners, home helps, household employees;
• hotel and catering sector: general-purpose kitchen staff, cafe and restaurant serving staff;
• Agriculture: employed farmers, agricultural workers;
• Construction: unskilled workers in building construction;
• Health: nursing auxiliary staff, nurses, hospital service agents;
• Transportation: short-haul and long-haul lorry drivers;
• Industry: unskilled manual workers in the food industry and goods handling;
• Social and solidarity economy: social and cultural activity professionals (animators, directors),
• Retail: self-service employees,
• Installation-maintenance: maintenance and environment technicians and supervisors,

Tertiary: engineers, design executives and R&D staff in IT, IT project managers.

In March 2023, the population of available workers was 130 480, representing a slight decrease over the year.

The main fields represented were:

• personal and community services: 17.1 %, down 9.1 %;
• Retail, sales and large-scale distribution: 14.4 %, down by 5.9 %.
• Business support: 13.0 %, down 2.7 %.

More specifically, the most sought-after professions by jobseekersare:

• Personal and community services (childcare assistance, cleaning services, domestic services);
• Transport and logistics (warehousing and order fulfilment, manual handling of loads, short-distance drivers and delivery);
• Industry (manual assembly, sorting, or packaging operations).
• Business support (secretarial work, reception and information, administrative operations).
• Commerce (selling of clothing and personal services, shelf-stacking in self-service stores, checkout staff).
• Hospitality and catering (general-purpose kitchen staff)
• Agriculture (landscape design and green space maintenance).

Links: https://www.observatoire-emploi-paysdelaloire.fr/

http://www.pole-emploi.org/regions/pays-de-la-loire/

https://dataemploi.pole-emploi.fr/accueil

Occupying a central position within France and Europe, and characterised by its mountainous terrain, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is linked to the bordering regions and neighbouring countries by major road and rail communication routes.

With a population of over 8 million inhabitants in 2020, i.e. 12.4 % of the metropolitan population, it is in second place in terms of its economic development for France (behind Île-de-France).

Although rural and mountainous areas cover two thirds of the territory, 78 % of the population is located in an urban area. There are large urban concentrations in the Lyon and Saint-Étienne catchment areas, the Grenoble urban area, the French Greater Geneva conurbation and the Clermont-Ferrand area.

In 2020, the population was relatively young (30.3 % of the population was under 25 years old) and the birth rate was at the same level as in the whole of metropolitan France, 10.7 %. The region is also particularly attractive. It is especially characterised by the economic influence of the city of Lyon.

There were 3 247 200 employee jobs in the second quarter of 2022. Over the year, employment rose by 1.3 %, resulting in the creation of 43 000 jobs in the region, including 28 000 in the commercial services sector and 85 000 in industry.

The leading industrial region in France. With over 506 000 jobs (employee and self-employed positions) across 54 400 sites, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is the French region with the highest number of jobs in industry. This creates 18.3 % added value in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes compared to 14.3 % in metropolitan France. The regional economy is structured around eight industrial sectors: manufacture of metal goods (Tefal, Ugitech, Constellium, Areva, Aubert & Duval, etc.), manufacture of rubber and plastic goods (Michelin, but also plastics processing in Oyonnax and Haute-Loire), manufacture of electrical and electronic goods (STMicroelectronics, Alstom, Somfy, etc.), manufacture of machines and equipment (Bosch, Aldes, Bayard, NTNSNR, Staubli, etc.), the chemicals industry (Bayer, Biomeirieux, Rhodia, etc.), the pharmaceuticals industry (SANOFI, MSD, Bayer, etc.), textile manufacturing and the agri-food industry.

The sectors with the highest recruitment during the 1st quarter of 2023 weretraditional catering (16 300 hirings) and fast food (9 500), routine cleaning of buildings (11 700), general public administration (10 500), hotels and similar accommodation (6 800), home help (6700).

In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the average number of job seekers actively seeking employment, whether they have worked previously or not, stands at 589 350 in the first quarter of 2023. This figure has decreased by 0.5 % in the quarter (equivalent to - 2 850 individuals) and by 3.3 % over the year. In metropolitan France, this number fell by 0.4 % in that quarter (- 3.0 % over the year).

Links: https://www.observatoire-emploi-ara.fr/

In a dynamic and attractive region, companies are hiring and envisage 370 000 planned recruitments in 2023. Accommodation and catering is the sector with the highest number of hiring intentions in the region (55 300 projects, or 15 % of the total, more than half of which are linked to seasonal activity).

Business support (46 900 planned recruitments, i.e. 13 % of the total, in particular maintenance workers, security officers, cleaning staff, accountants, gardeners, industrial or IT engineers, administrative staff, etc.) and commerce (45 900 planned recruitments, i.e. 12 % of the total) complete the podium of the most recruiting sectors.

Together with health and social work (41 800 projects, or 11 % of the total, in particular nursing auxiliary staff, home help, nurses, specialist educators, hospital service workers, etc.), these four main sectors account for half of the recruitment intentions in the region.

Recruitment is also expected in agriculture and the agri-food industries (10 %), construction (9 %), industry (8 %), public administration/education (7 %) and transport (5 %).

Where are most jobs found in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes?

Most planned recruitments are concentrated in the catchment areas of the main cities: Lyon, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, Chambéry, Saint-Etienne and Valence.

Major tourist and/or agricultural areas (Tarentaise, Villefranche, Drôme and North and South Ardèche, Vallée de l’Arve) also have high anticipated recruitment numbers, particularly in terms of seasonal jobs.

Recruitment difficulties for businesses

In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 63 % of projects are deemed difficult to accomplish by employers. Recruitment challenges will continue in 2023, at the record level reached in 2022. These difficulties mainly apply to over six out of ten projects in the construction, health and social services (down -3 points), industry (in particular metalworking and manufacturing of transport equipment), accommodation and catering, transport and storage, business support and commerce sectors (up by + 4 points).

Businesses mainly report facing difficulties in finding applicants that meet their requirements. In addition to the lack of applicants, the main obstacles that employers mention are a lack of qualifications and issues with soft skills.

Top 10 occupations with recruitment opportunities (men/women)

• Personal care workers
• General-purpose kitchen staff
• Home helps and domestic cleaners
• Cleaners
• Café and restaurant serving staff
• Unskilled packaging and goods handling workers
• Office and medical secretaries
• Cooks
• Nurses, nursing professionals and paediatric nurses
• Short-haul and long-haul lorry drivers

Links: https://www.observatoire-emploi-ara.fr/rubrique/enquete-bmo

The occupations which have recorded the highest demand for employment in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region include childcare and adult care assistance, cleaning of premises, warehousing and order fulfilment, secretarial work, etc.

Classification of occupations with the highest number of jobseekers

Source: “Approche Métier” occupation information sheet as at end March 2023

Links: https://www.observatoire-emploi-ara.fr/

The Grand Est region has 5.56 million inhabitants as at 1 January 2023, making up 8.2 % of the total population of France.

The population has remained stable between 2020 and 2023, while France’s total population grew by 0.9 %. 22.5% of inhabitants in the Grand Est region are under 20 years old.

The employment rate in the Grand Est region is 63.8 %. In metropolitan France the employment rate is 64.7 %.

One of the Grand Est region’s distinctive characteristics is that it is the French region with the highest number of cross-border commuters. The number of cross-border commuters in the region is estimated at 202 850, i.e. approximately 8 % of the active population.

Luxembourg is the most common destination for cross-border commuters, with 117 360 commuters from the Grand Est region. 40 780 cross-border commuters work in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate. North-Western Switzerland attracts 36 510 cross-border commuters from the Grand Est region, particularly around Basel, and around 8 200 cross-border workers from the Grand Est commute to Belgium.

The Grand Est region had almost 2 004 700 employees at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022, the highest level since late 2010. Total paid employment figures in the region rose by 0.5 % year on year and by 1.3 % in France.

The industrial sector accounted for almost 16 % of paid employment in the region at the end of 2022, which is approximately 4 points higher than the national average. The metalworking and agri-food industries account for about a third of industrial jobs.

Six of the 70 French competitiveness clusters are located in the Grand Est region, grouping together nearly 900 companies. These clusters are focused on the materials, water and eco-technologies, energy, bio-resources and health, and transportation equipment sectors.

The region is a strong exporter, ranked second among the regions in France. It benefits from its border location and is the second highest ranking region in terms of exports. Its main customers are European: Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and Belgium. The leading export sectors are the automobile, pharmacy, drinks, chemistry and machine manufacturing sectors.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate stood at 7.0 % of the active population in the Grand Est, mirroring the rate in metropolitan France. This is the lowest regional unemployment rate in 14 years (since 2008). Regional and metropolitan unemployment rates followed a similar pattern year-on-year and fell by 0.3 points.

The departments of the Grand Est region with the highest rates of unemployment are Aube (9.5 %), Ardennes (9.3 %) and Vosges (7.5 %).

(Source: INSEE, census, population estimates, provisional data as at 1 January 2023)

(Source: INSEE, Population Census, 2019)

(Source: estimate by Pôle Emploi using the most recent data available as at 12 May 2023 and which is based on statistics from destination countries, as they are more recent than the census data available from INSEE)

(Source: INSEE, employment estimates in the fourth ^{quarter of 2022)}

(Source: INSEE, Population Census, 2019)

(Source: Customs – INSEE, raw data)

(Source: INSEE, localised unemployment rates, seasonally adjusted data)

Pre-employment reports in the Grand Est region increased by 6.3 % between 2021 and 2022, reflecting a rise in employment: + 9.2 % in agriculture, + 7.3 % in industry, + 6.4 % in services, + 3.6 % in trade, and - 1.3 % in construction.

Compared with the period from May 2021 to April 2022, registered job vacancies increased mainly in the fields of industry, construction, transport and logistics but decreased in agriculture/fisheries/nature and green spaces/animal care, hotels/catering/tourism/leisure and entertainment and trade/retail/large-scale distribution.

Compared to the situation prior to the health crisis, the number of recruitment projects has increased by 18.1 % since 2018. It is now at its second highest level in 10 years.

More than 100 000 recruitment projects came from establishments with fewer than 10 employees, representing nearly half of all projects (49 %). Services account for 54.0 % of recruitment projects, 34 % for personal services  and 20 % for business services.

Non-seasonal recruitment projects represent a potential of 144 099 hires for 2023 (70.9 % of all projects).

The five most sought-after profiles by employers in the region for non-seasonal planned hiring are home helps and domestic cleaners, cleaners, nursing auxiliaries, general-purpose kitchen apprentices and employees, and nurses, nursing professionals and paediatric nurses.

57.9 % of planned recruitments were considered difficult to fill by employers, comparable to the level in 2022 (- 0.4 points compared to 2022). Consequently, 117 736 recruitment projects are deemed difficult.

Among the professions with the highest recruitment difficulty rates are construction-related jobs (roofers, plumbers-heating engineers, electricians, etc.), personal services (home helps and domestic cleaners, housekeepers), maintenance (vehicle mechanics and electronics, skilled maintenance mechanics), healthcare (nursing professionals and paediatric nurses), transport (drivers of light-goods vehicles, taxi, ambulances, short-haul and long-haul drivers, public road transport drivers, etc.).

(Source: Labour Needs Survey 2023, conducted by Pôle Emploi and Crédoc)

(Source: Social Security Contribution Collection Office-Agricultural Social Security (URSSAF-MSA), Pre-employment reports, 2022 annual total)

(Source: job vacancies registered with Pôle emploi, raw data over 12 months as at end April 2023)

The favourable labour market situation continued into the first quarter of 2023, with a decrease in the number of jobseekers. Over the first quarter of 2023 in the Grand Est, the number of jobseekers out of work and actively seeking employment was 230 650.

In the Grand Est region, the number of jobseekers actively seeking employment, with or without a job, averaged 412 190 in the first quarter of 2023. This number fell by 3.8 % over the year (- 3.0 % in metropolitan France).

(Source: Pôle Emploi, Labour market statistics, data adjusted for seasonality and working days in the first quarter of 2023)

Ile-de-France spans eight departments (Paris, Seine-et-Marne, Yvelines, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne and Val d’Oise) and has 12.3 million inhabitants, representing 18.2 % of the French population. Characterised by a young population (53 % under the age of 40), the region is home to a quarter of higher education graduates.

Regarded as one of the main driving forces of the national economy, Île-de-France accounts for 31 % of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France and 4.6 % of the GDP of the European Union. The headquarters of many major companies (in terms of turnover) are located in the region, including Renault, EDF, Total, Orange, Engie, Française des Jeux and SNCF.

With over 6.3 million salaried jobs in the private sector in the first quarter of 2023, over 5.1 million of which are in the private sector, Île-de-France is the leading region, with very competitive clusters such as la Défense, Puteaux, the Plateau de Saclay (Yvelines) and Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, which offer technical and highly skilled jobs.

Year-on-year, salaried employment rose by 1.8 %, particularly in the commercial service sector, where the increase was 2.7 %. However, temporary employment fell by 1.3 % in the quarter.

It should be noted that Ile-de-France registered 71 955 new businesses in the 1st quarter of 2023, more or less stable compared to the previous year but well above pre-pandemic levels (+ 15.5 %).

The unemployment rate in the Île-de-France in the first quarter of 2023 stands at 6.6 % of the economically active population, a decrease of 0.4 % over one year. This rate is approaching the 2008 level, which was the last low point before the economic crisis. There was also a sharp decrease in the number of jobseekers in the first quarter of 2023, - 7.4 % year-on-year, i.e. 588 070 jobseekers. However, this number has increased (+ 1.4 %) among young people under the age of 25. The average number of jobseekers actively seeking employment, with or without a job, averaged 951 530. This number fell by 0.4 % over the quarter and by 2.4 % year-on-year.

Links: INSEE (https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1893198)

In the Labour Needs (BMO) survey conducted by Pôle Emploi, 27.8 % of the companies questioned are considering recruiting in 2023 (a decrease of 0.5 percentage points from the previous year). The number of planned recruitments was over 524 471 in 2023 (representing 17.2 % of national planned recruitments). The share of planned recruitments regarded as difficult was 55.1 % this year (an increase of 9.7 percentage points from the previous year), while the share of planned seasonal recruitments was 11.2 % (a decrease of 1.4 percentage points compared to 2022).

Almost one in every two job vacancies is located in Paris and Hauts-de-Seine.

Source Pôle emploi: “Labour needs survey: 524 500 recruitment projects in 2023", Summary and Clarification, Pôle emploi Île-de-France, April 2023) 

The 20 most sought-after professions by job seekers

Source: STMT Pôle emploi, 1^st quarter of 2023

Occitania is a French administrative region created by the 2014 territorial reform with 13 departments and 44 employment areas. It came about from the merging of the former regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi Pyrénées. It is the region of France that has the most departments. With an area larger than Ireland, the region is the second largest and the fifth most populous in France with nearly 6 million inhabitants (9 % of the population of metropolitan France). It has 2.6 million workers aged 15 to 64. The region’s geographical location gives it a wide diversity of landscapes and climates and ranks as the 4th tourist region in France. Occitania has two large cities (Toulouse and Montpellier), 10 airports, three commercial ports and 70 marinas.

The region is highly attractive and records an average population growth of 0.7 % each year (compared to + 0.4 % in France as a whole), resulting in a gain of nearly 42 000 inhabitants. Haute-Garonne and Hérault account for 43 % of regional population growth.

The border with Spain stretches for 656 km along the Pyrenees mountain range and is interrupted by the Principality of Andorra. It is France’s longest land border. Away from the coastline, crossing points are very limited, resulting in a low number of cross-border commuters between the two countries.

On the employment front, the region ranks as the 4th region in terms of employment, with nearly 2.2 million employees. The over-represented sectors are aeronautical and space construction, agriculture, research and development, health and social services, and residential nursing care.

The Occitania region possesses strong economic assets, with agriculture occupying half of the territory. It ranks 2nd for agricultural employment with its 140 000 permanent workers. It is France's leading region in organic farming, including in the winegrowing and livestock sectors. In industry, aerospace propels the region by positioning it as the top European region with 86 000 direct jobs in aeronautics and space.

With its 220 kilometres of coastline and 20 seaside resorts, the region is a real maritime power and tourist destination. It has the largest French fishing fleet in the Mediterranean with its three seaports: Sète, Port-la-Nouvelle, Port-Vendres and its 70 marinas. Its mountain ranges are home to winter and summer sports resorts, as well as the region's spa industry (No. 1 spa region). With all its assets, the region recorded 220 million overnight stays across all types of accommodations in 2022 (+ 21 % compared with 2021). Occitania also ranks as the top region in terms of natural and historical heritage and has the highest number of UNESCO-listed sites.

With almost 40 000 job offers registered in the month of March, these remain at a high level compared with pre-crisis levels (33 % more job offers registered compared with March 2019). On the labour demand side, the number of people registered with the Pôle Emploi stood at almost 546 000 in the first quarter of 2023 and continues on a downward trend, although the rate of decline is slowing over time. While a large number of sectors have seen a decrease in the number of job offers over the year, for all of them, the volumes remain higher than before the pandemic. This is particularly the case for health, residential care and social work and public administration.

A few activities are recruiting more than in March 2022. This is particularly true of specialised scientific and technical activities and administrative services (temporary work).

Employment prospects for 2023

For 2023, companies report 279 940 intentions to hire, which represents 9 % of national plans. Services () account for 61 % of recruitment intentions (24 % for personal services, 20 % for business services and 17 % for accommodation and catering), with an increase of 3.3 % in the number of projected hires compared with 2022. Growth was most pronounced in construction (+9.3%).

Haute-Garonne and Hérault account for 44 % of the region’s recruitment intentions.

Among the most sought-after non-seasonal professions in the region in 2023 are kitchen helpers, apprentices, general-purpose kitchen staff, home helps/housekeepers, nursing auxiliaries, cleaners and waiters in cafés and restaurants.

The seasonal nature of employment is particularly pronounced in Occitania and accounts for 38 % of all employers’ planned recruitments. The fact that agricultural and tourist activities are particularly well developed in the Occitania region is the reason for this high percentage. For example, the majority of seasonal hires are in agriculture (including the agri-food industry) and in accommodation and catering.

The workers available are particularly concentrated in the departments of Haute-Garonne and Hérault. In Occitania, there are just under 546 000 people immediately available to seek employment, a number that has decreased by 1.5% over the year. The professional fields that have the highest concentration of job seekers are personal and community services, commerce/sales, business support and hospitality.

20 occupations account for almost 36 % of jobseekers and the most sought-after occupations are:

• Childcare assistance
• Cleaning of premises
• Domestic services
• Secretarial work
• Shelf-stackers and self-service
• Clothing and personal accessories sales
• Warehousing and order fulfilment
• Short-distance drivers/delivery rounds
• Kitchen staff
• Reception and information services
• Driving of long-distance goods vehicles
• Adult care assistance
• Maintenance of green areas
• General-purpose hospital services staff
• Sale of foodstuffs
• Catering services

In 2023, the population of Guadeloupe will increase to 408 183 inhabitants. However, if external migration remains at the level of the previous year, the population is expected to experience a decrease of 658 inhabitants.

In the first quarter of 2023, in Guadeloupe, the number of jobseekers out of work and actively seeking employment, with or without a job, averaged 43 360 in the quarter.

This figure has decreased by 1.3 % in the quarter (equivalent to - 570 individuals) and by 11.1 % over the year. In Guadeloupe, the number of jobseekers actively seeking employment, with or without a job, averaged 55 660 in the first quarter of 2023. This figure has decreased by 1.4 % in the quarter.

In Guadeloupe, the number of salaried jobs continues to increase in the private sector. This increase is primarily driven by the tertiary sector, while temporary employment is slowing down. The decline in demand for employment is a long-term trend and affects all age groups. Hotel occupancy rates are well above those prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Against this favourable economic backdrop, unemployment is stabilising. Business creations remained buoyant throughout the year.

The unemployment rate stands at 19.5 % of the economically active population and remains high in this respect.

Businesses in the accommodation and catering services and tourism sectors have achieved higher levels than those of 2019. The services sector accounts for 79 % of jobs. Public administration, teaching, health and social work account for a third of the jobs in the region. Of the employed population in Guadeloupe, 82 % are employees.

The services sector is followed by industry, construction and agriculture.

Recruitment prospects are more favourable than in the previous 2 years. In 2022, the economic context improved, with an upturn in activity, boosted by the easing of health restrictions in March. Activity improved across all sectors, although it is gradually being held back by an increase in inflationary pressure linked to the geopolitical context (delays in delivery, increase in the cost of raw materials, etc.) which particularly affects tourism (increase in airfares), trade, industry and construction (costs and supply difficulties).

Links: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7343063?sommaire=7343407

• Source: Pôle emploi-DARES, STMT; Sources : INSEE, employment estimates; quarterly estimates Urssaf, DARES, INSEE. : http://guadeloupe.deets.gouv.fr/bilans-annuels

36.7 % of employers in Guadeloupe are planning to hire at least one person this year, compared with 34 % in 2022.

While the proportion of recruiting establishments is up 11 points (45 % in 2023) in the Agri-food industry and agriculture and 4 points (34 % in 2023) in the manufacturing industry, the share of recruiting establishments remains stable in trade (31 % in 2023) and has increased by 2 points in construction (46 % in 2023) and services (36 % in 2023).

Construction accounts for 14 % of jobs in the region. With 2 458 projects in 2023 compared to 2 505 in 2022, the sector, similar to the previous year, is experiencing a decline (- 1.9 %) but remains the leading job provider in Guadeloupe.

In the service sector, healthcare and social services account for 12.6 % of jobs in the region (2 219 projects) compared to 13.1 % in 2022

Accommodation and catering contributed to 12.9 % of hires in 2023 compared with 10.5 % in 2022.

The proportion of seasonal jobs has increased by one point to 28 % in 2023, driven mainly by employers in the retail sector (+ 8 percentage points).

Sources: Labour Needs (BMO) report from Pôle Emploi Guadeloupe IDN

The sectors with significant unemployment include all unskilled occupations in industry, crafts, agricultural occupations, as well as some retail jobs (cashiers, etc.), and transport professions (goods handling). These occupations, which are marked by high insecurity and have a high unemployment rate, are associated with a low level of training and unattractive salaries.

Sources: Labour Needs (BMO) survey Guadeloupe

With almost 6 million inhabitants, the Hauts-de-France region is the third most populous region after Île-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The region is a diverse territory, in which dense urban areas around the city of Lille and the conurbations of Amiens, Arras, Valenciennes and Dunkerque intermingle with less dense areas around these urban conglomerations and rural areas, particularly in the departments of Aisne and the Somme.

It is also a young territory that is experiencing population growth primarily due to births.
The region benefits from infrastructural assets and a favourable geographical location along the Paris/Brussels axis and access to the coast for the development of its maritime economy (port activities) or tourism.

The region is characterised by an economy that has, historically, been driven by industry but is gradually diversifying, with a greater shift towards services in certain parts of the territory (employment areas of Lille and Compiègne).

Dominant sectors include the mechanical and metalworking industry, chemistry, plastics engineering and agri-foodstuffs. These sectors are most commonly driven by major industrial or even international groups. The presence of these groups also has a particularly strong influence on exports. The automotive and rail sectors also play an influential role on the territory, which benefits from the establishment of the largest groups in these sectors in the territory of Hainaut.

Business services are flourishing particularly in the northern and southern parts of the territory. Lille is home to many company headquarters, as well as services and retail businesses. In Compiègne, the technology industry and business services companies have developed due to its proximity to Paris, universities (UTC) and research and development centres.

The region also carries out economic development projects, including the Seine-Nord Canal project, which should create a significant number of jobs.

The region's initiatives are directed towards vulnerable populations, which are overrepresented in the region, including individuals receiving social assistance, youth, and long-term unemployed individuals.

In 2023, regional companies are planning more than 207 000 recruitments: 18 000 fewer than 2022.

The profiles most in demand in 2023 will be found mainly in the tertiary sector, including services (cleaners, home helps and housekeepers), healthcare/social work (entertainment professionals, nursing auxiliaries, nurses), logistics/transport (unskilled packaging workers and handlers, drivers and long-distance lorry drivers), catering (general-purpose kitchen staff and waiters, café and restaurant waiters), entertainment (artists, entertainment professionals), sales and distribution (self-service employees) and security (security and surveillance officers).

Recruitment difficulties anticipated by employers have decreased, following the sharp increase in 2022, but they remain at a high level: 50 %. The lack of candidates is the main reason for concern mentioned by recruiters, followed by inadequate skills profiles.

Numerous initiatives to raise awareness are carried out to support jobseekers and guide them towards employment opportunities, particularly occupations in health and social work, construction, hotels, tourism and catering services.

The region is also part of the 1 jeune, 1 solution (1 young person, 1 solution) action plan, which is particularly relevant in a region where young jobseekers (under the age of 25) account for over 15 % of all jobseekers.

Efforts are also underway to facilitate the recruitment of people from priority neighbourhoods, thanks to the major introduction of subsidised employment (emplois francs) schemes.

As at 1 January 2020, the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur exceeded 5 million inhabitants, the majority of whom are concentrated along a highly urbanised coastal strip. 40 % are located in the Bouches du Rhône department. It is the seventh most populous region of metropolitan France. There are fewer under 25 year-olds than in metropolitan France; here they make up 27 % of the population (compared to 29 %). In contrast, the over 50s make up a larger proportion of the region’s population (43 %), 22 % of whom are over the age of 65 (compared to 20 % in France). The region still has an ageing population, especially in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Var. There are 2.2 million economically active people in the region.

The region’s economic landscape comprises 547 000 establishments, which constitute 11 % of all establishments in metropolitan France. The regional economy is focused on goods manufacturing and services for the people living on the territory, residents or tourists; at the end of 2015, the proportion of in-person employment is still higher than in metropolitan France as a whole (77 % compared to 71 %). The region is France’s second most important tourist destination after Île-de-France. The region’s economic fabric is characterised by the volume of companies with fewer than 10 employees (95 %). The regional economy is driven by services (market and non-market, 51 %), as well as trade and transport (30 %) and construction (13 %). The region has around 15 companies with over 1 300 employees: Airbus Helicopters, Régie des transports de Marseille, STMicroelectronics, Arcelor Mittal, CEA centre de Cadarache, CMA-CGM, Amadeus, SNCF, Thales, and CNRS, amongst others.

In 2020, 1 820 000 people were employed in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, in both the private and public sector.

Recruitments in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (over 3 million in 2020) are mainly in services (half of which originate with temporary work agencies), and particularly for accommodation and catering services, and health and social work. Employment is highly seasonal for certain business activities, such as agriculture, the arts and entertainment, as well as accommodation and catering services.

https://www.pole-emploi.org/regions/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/statistiques-analyses.html

In 2020, 542 500 new job vacancies were published on the website www.pole-emploi.fr. Among these, 46 % were at a workplace in Bouches-du-Rhône and 21 % in Alpes-Maritimes. Long-term jobs (fixed-term contracts of over 6 months and permanent contracts) made up 67 % of these vacancies. The occupational fields of business support services, personal and community services and trade account for over 45 % of published vacancies. The five most in-demand occupations by businesses in the vacancies published in 2020 were childcare assistance, warehousing and order fulfilment, IT design and development, domestic services and kitchen staff.

Almost 7 in 10 planned recruitments in the region were in services companies (Labour Needs Survey 2021). Employers’ anticipated recruitments represented 256 100 potential jobs in 2021. Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur still ranks fourth in the region in terms of the number of anticipated recruitments. Personal services is the main recruiting sector with 27 % of all employment intentions, that is 67 600 planned hires, with the highest numbers in health and social work this year. Business services come second, although the number of planned recruitments has dropped significantly (proportion of 22 % of all planned hires, a decrease of 15 %), particularly in the sub-sectors of transport and warehousing (- 35 %) and information and communication (- 30 %), followed by accommodation and catering services (share of 18 % and decrease of 5 %). The agri-food (IAA) industry and agriculture (+ 7 %, and specifically + 3 % in agriculture and + 25 % in IAA), trade (+ 3 %) and, above all, construction (+ 22 %) grew between 2019 and 2021, while industry declined slightly (- 2 %). The most sought-after occupations are cafe and restaurant serving staff, kitchen employees and cleaners.

In the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, 71 occupations were identified as experiencing shortages in 2019. These shortages are mainly concentrated in industry and the construction sector.

https://www.pole-emploi.org/regions/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/statistiques-analyses.html

In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the local unemployment rate, which has been falling since mid-2015, rose sharply in the third quarter of 2020 by 1.9 %, after decreasing by 0.6 % in the second quarter. It reached 10.2 % of the economically active population, the same rate as two years earlier. Over the course of a year, it increased by 0.7 percentage points. In metropolitan France, the trend is similar.

At the department level, the unemployment rate is rising slightly faster than at regional level (2.0 points) in Alpes-Maritimes (10.0 %) and Bouches-du-Rhône (10.3 %). In Vaucluse (11.4 %), the rate increased by 2.1 % in one quarter. In Hautes-Alpes (8.4 %), Var (9.5 %) and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (10.4 %), it is more stable, with an increase of between 1.4 and 1.7 points.

In the first quarter of 2021, there were an average of 502 080 jobseekers in the region registered on the Pôle Emploi lists in categories A, B and C (required to actively seek employment, working a reduced number of hours or without a job). Following the health crisis, young people (under 25 years old), older people (over 50) and long-term jobseekers (registered with the Pôle Emploi for more than a year) are the most affected. The Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-Maritimes have suffered the greatest impact.

The most sought-after occupations by jobseekers in the region are:

• Cleaning of premises
• Childcare assistance
• Domestic services
• Clothing and personal accessories sales
• Secretarial work
• Warehousing and order fulfilment
• Bricklaying/masonry
• Adult care assistance
• Kitchen staff
• Catering services

Links: https://www.pole-emploi.org/regions/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/statistiques-analyses.html

With its shared borders with Switzerland, Île-de-France, Centre-Val de Loire, Grand Est, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, with its 2.8 million inhabitants, enjoys a privileged position in the heart of Europe.

Bourgogne Franche-Comté is the leading industrial region in France. Four sectors are dominant: metalworking (Framatome, Industreel, Aperam Stainless), manufacturing of transport material (Stellantis, FPT Powertrainn), the agri-food industry, manufacturing of rubber and plastic products (Michelin).

The agricultural economy and regional produce are also particularly prominent. Agricultural employment is the fourth highest of all French regions with sectors of excellence, such as Bourgogne wine, cheeses with designations of origin (Comté etc.), Charolais beef, and Bresse poultry.

In services, healthcare is one of the main employers linked to an ageing population with increasing needs. The transport and warehousing sector is experiencing recruitment challenges, even though demand is there, given the region's privileged position.

There is a wide range of tourist activities: wine and gastronomy tourism, green and sports tourism (with the landscapes and natural sites of Morvan or Jura), river tourism, cultural tourism (Hospices de Beaune, Vézelay, etc.). The region's hotels play host to European customers in the main.

Cross-border work is particularly developed in the east of the region, with almost 44 000 cross-border commuters in Switzerland in December 2022.

The unemployment rate is lower, at 6.3 % at the end of 2022, compared with 7 % in mainland France. It has remained stable over the past year.

Links: http://www.observatoire-poleemploi-bfc.fr/asp/mai_html/htm_vie.asp?htmid=684

Almost 108 000 planned recruitments were announced in 2023 in the region, which is around 2 370 more than the previous year and about 13 500 more than two years ago.

Services contribute the most with 52 % of the projects. 14 890 planned recruitments were in industry including 10 810 in manufacturing, with a 1% decrease in planned hires compared to the previous year, followed by trade with 12 800 planned recruitments.

Finally, 8 260 intentions to hire were recorded in construction, + 4 % compared with 2022.

The share of planned hires considered challenging fell from 60 % in 2022 to 56 % in 2023.

The share of seasonal recruitment hires also decreased from 31 % to 29 % in 2023.

Dijon, with 15 520 planned recruitments, was the main contributor in terms of volume (14 % of the region), followed by Besançon (12 250), Beaune (7 180), Chalon-sur-Saône (6 850), Auxerre (6 610) and Mâcon (5 930)

Between May 2022 and April 2023, Pôle emploi registered more than 163 000 job vacancies in the region. This represents an increase of 16 % compared to the same period the previous year.

The most popular occupations include the hotel and catering sector (kitchen staff, waiter, general-purpose employees), logistics (storage and preparation of orders, vehicle driving, machine driving), agriculture (agricultural workers), business services (cleaning staff), healthcare (assistance for adults, domestic services, patient hygiene and comfort) and industry (maintenance).

Links: http://www.observatoire-poleemploi-bfc.fr/asp/mai_html/htm_vie.asp?htmi…

There were almost 196 000 jobseekers in the region at the end of
April 2023 (with or without reduced activity during the month).

The most sought-after sectors of activity by job seekers are:

• Personal and community services
• Retail, sales, large-scale distribution
• Industry
• Business support
• Transport and logistics

The most sought-after professions by job seekers in April 2023:

Links: http://www.observatoire-poleemploi-bfc.fr/asp/mai_met/htm_met.asp?modlo…

Composed of 6 departments, the Centre-Val de Loire region has 2 573 180 inhabitants. In a difficult economic context marked by high inflation, economic activity is resilient in Centre-Val de Loire. Some indicators are even very encouraging, such as the regional unemployment rate, which has reached its lowest level for more than 10 years (6.7 % in the fourth quarter of 2022).

Salaried employment increased (+ 0.8 % over the year) to more than 941 000 employees in the region. Employment in industry remains overrepresented in the region compared to the national average. As this sector relies heavily on temporary work, the number of temporary workers is proportionally higher in Centre-Val de Loire than in other regions. Several sectors are particularly dynamic in the region. In the pharmaceutical industry, the Centre-Val de Loire region confirms its position as one of the leading European regions for pharmaceutical production, with 108 establishments (Laboratoire Servier, Famar, Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, Pierre Fabre, etc.) representing nearly 12 000 jobs.

The region also benefits from an ideal geographical location in terms of logistics and goods flow management. With almost 1 200 establishments employing more than 26 000 people, the transport and logistics sector is important.

The Centre-Val de Loire region is also proving to be a major hub for aeronautical subcontracting which benefits from the presence of global leaders (Thales, MBDA, etc.) and a large network of SMEs-SMIs. It has 325 establishments and employs 21 570 employees.

Links: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2012804 (unemployment rate)

https://www.insee.fr/fr/recherche?q=10567989&debut=0 (salaried employment)

https://www.devup-centrevaldeloire.fr/ (Sectors)

In Centre-Val de Loire, 103 448 planned recruitments have been reported by companies for 2023, an increase of 11.1 % on the previous year.

The increase in planned hires covers all major sectors of economic activity, particularly industry (+ 23.2 %), commerce (+ 15.1 %) and construction (+ 11.0 %). The services sector alone accounts for 55 % of projected recruitments, followed by industry, commerce, construction and agriculture. Among the more detailed sectors behind these hiring intentions are retail trade, restaurants, construction, healthcare, transportation and warehousing, as well as the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.

The increase in the number of recruitment projects is accompanied by more pronounced recruitment difficulties. In 2023, 7 out of 10 planned recruitments were considered challenging by companies in the Centre-Val de Loire region.

The sectors most affected by these recruitment pressures are construction (84 % of planned hires are perceived as difficult to fill by employers), business services (73 %) and industry (70 %).

Business services occupations (cleaning staff, unskilled packaging workers and handymen), care and support occupations (care assistants, home helps, nurses), the hotel and catering industry (waiters in cafés and restaurants, cooks), transport (lorry drivers and long-distance lorry drivers) and construction (unskilled heavy construction workers, bricklayers, plasterers, tilers) are among the occupations most in demand by companies.

Among the occupations for which employers anticipate significant recruitment difficulties are plumbers/heating engineers, nurses, vehicle mechanics, transport workers, home helps and bricklayers, as well as engineers and design managers, IT R&D engineers and IT project managers.

Links: https://statistiques.pole-emploi.org/bmo/bmo?fa=24&la=0&pp=2023&ss=1

At the end of March 2023, 19 % of jobseekers registered with Pôle emploi en Centre-Val de Loire were looking for a job in personal and community services (childcare, cleaning of premises, home help, adult assistance, etc.), 13 % in retail, sales and mass distribution (shelf-stacking, sale of clothing and accessories, cashier roles, etc.), 13 % in transport and logistics (storage and order preparation, manual handling of loads, operation of load moving machinery, short-distance delivery, long-distance goods transportation, etc.), 12 % in business support (secretarial services, administrative operations, reception and information services, etc.), 10 % in industry (manual assembly, sorting or packaging operations, mechanical assembly, handling of packaging equipment, etc.), hospitality, restaurant, and tourism ( general-purpose catering staff, kitchen staff, leisure activities for children or adolescents, etc.) and construction ( building painting, groundwork and public works preparation, masonry, etc.)

Links: https://statistiques.pole-emploi.org/stmt/defm?ff=A,B,C&fi=24&nm=0&pp=202303&ss=1

French Guiana is an overseas department and region (DROM) and is therefore part of the French administrative and political system; it is located in the north-eastern part of South America, between Surinam and Brazil. This department, with an area of 83 533 km² is the only European Union mainland territory in South America.

The department is organised into two arrondissements: Cayenne and Saint-Laurent du Maroni, which is the sub-prefecture located in the west of French Guiana’s territory.

Economic activity in French Guiana has developed along its coastline, along which the largest towns are located (Cayenne, Kourou, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, Remire-Montjoly, Matoury). It revolves around a traditional sector (timber, fishing, building, public works, gold) and a high-tech sector represented by the Guiana Space Centre located in Kourou.

It is also the most dynamic French region in terms of population growth: 2.5 % between 2013 and 2018. This is mainly driven by the birth rate, combined with historically high levels of immigration.

The population of French Guiana (276 128 inhabitants in 2018) is young and cosmopolitan, with 56.5 % of the population under the age of 29 and a third from an immigrant background.

In 2019, the growth of paid employment continued (+ 3 %), both in the private and public sectors (with respective increases of 3.0 % and 2.9 %). Jobs were mainly created in the non-market and market services sector, excluding temporary employment. The temporary agency work sector lost a third of its staff in 2019 after an exceptional increase in 2018. Nevertheless, the creation of these salaried jobs is not enough to stem unemployment in Guiana, which affects, according to the International Labour Organization, one in five active people in Guiana.

For several years, French Guiana has thus had an economic growth rate between 3% and 5%, which has resulted in significant net job creation. However, this much stronger growth than on the mainland has not been enough to absorb the mass entry of young people onto the labour market each year.

As a result, the unemployment rate remains high; it was 34.4 % in 2018.

The 2021 Labour Needs Survey indicates that the sectors that make the biggest contribution are services, with 1 962 planned recruitments. This represents an increase of 71.9 % in the sector in 2021 compared to 2020, and construction provides 20.6 % of jobs. In services, the sub-sector of public administration and teaching accounts for 21.1 % of employment in the region.

According to the Labour Needs Survey 2021, the 10 most sought-after professions by employers are:

• School supervisors, learning support assistants and teaching assistants
• Cleaners (including ATSEM, i.e. specialised nursery school cleaners)
• Social and cultural activity professionals
• Unskilled manual labourers for structural works
• Security and surveillance officers, private investigators and similar occupations
• Builders, plasterers, tilers, etc. (skilled trades workers)
• Artists (music, dance, shows, including teachers)
• Salaried gardeners, landscapers
• Kitchen aides, apprentices, general-purpose kitchen staff
• Unskilled packaging and goods handling workers

The five occupations with the highest numbers of vacancies in the last 12 months* in French Guiana

• Education and supervision within educational establishments
• Maintenance of buildings and premises
• Cleaning of premises
• Secretarial work
• Childcare assistance

The 10 most sought-after professions or sectors by jobseekers in French Guiana

• Cleaning of premises
• Domestic services
• Childcare assistance
• Maintenance of green areas
• Bricklaying/masonry
• Secretarial work
• Adult care assistance
• Selling of clothing and personal accessories
• Education and supervision within educational establishments
• Kitchen staff

As of 1 January 2023, the population of Martinique is estimated to be 347 686 inhabitants, which is the lowest level since the 1980s.

In 2022, 54.5 % of the population of Martinique will be female and 45.5 % male.

In 2022, the labour market fully benefited from the favourable economic climate in Martinique. The number of employees increased by 2.0 % (and 3.5 % for private employment) year-on-year and is at a record high. This represents:

 2 632 additional jobs on the island. New jobs were created in the private sector (+ 3.5 %), while public sector employment remained stable. Reflecting the activity's dynamism, temporary employment increased significantly over the year (+ 6.3 %). Private paid employment is characterised by the predominance of the tertiary sector, which accounts for more than four fifths of the total.

The commercial services sector accounts for 40.6 % of paid employment (including 11.4 % for trade and 23.4 % for other market services). Excluding temporary employment, it employed 56 820 employees at the end of 2022, representing 43.1 % of total paid employment. With a 4.2 % increase in its workforce, it generates 2 280 additional jobs. With the exception of real estate activities (- 1.8 %), all activities showed a growth in jobs.

The accommodation and catering sector experienced the greatest increase in its workforce, with 1 030 additional posts (+ 18.7 %) totalling 6 560 jobs. Scientific and technical activities were recruiting significantly in 2022, with a further 470 jobs (+ 4.2 %) and trade (290 additional jobs, + 1.9 %).

The number of jobs in industry rose by 310 (+ 3.6 %). Industry is driven by coking, refining, waste, water and energy management. For these activities, the workforce increased by 200 posts (+ 7.5 %).

The manufacture of foodstuffs and beverages contributed to the positive trend, creating 90 new jobs (+ 2.8 %).

The industry employs 8 990 employees, or 6.8 % of paid employment in Martinique. At the national level, the number of positions increased by 1.2 %.

The number of construction workers increased for the fourth consecutive year, although the pace of recruitment slowed (+ 0.8 %). The sector employs 6 240 employees, representing 4.7 % of the region’s total employment.

The non-commercial tertiary sector employs around 53 520 people. This includes public administrations, education, health and social services. The number of employees was stable in 2022, with 53 520 jobs.

The activity of medical and social accommodation and social work (excluding accommodation) creates 260 jobs (+ 2.8 %). The same applies to healthcare activities, which added 130 jobs (+ 1.2 %).

Teaching ends the year with 310 fewer positions than in 2021.

Similar to employment, business start-ups are also on the rise (+ 17 % compared with 2021).

In 2022, the unemployment rate stood at 10.3 %, a significant decrease over one year (- 2.5 points).

Links:

• INSEE CONJONCTURE MARTINIQUE No 25 Published on: 06/07/2023
• INSEE CONJONCTURE MARTINIQUE No 24 Published on: 01/06/2023
• IEDOM 2022 ANNUAL ECONOMIC REPORT Published on: 30/06/2023
• PÔLE EMPLOI/DARES/DEETS : STMT in the second quarter of 2023 Published on: 26/07/2023

In 2022, the number of job vacancies registered by Pôle emploi rose slightly (+ 3.7 % year-on-year).

The sectors driving up this volume are trade, sales and retail (+ 16.7 % of offers over the year), hospitality, restaurants and tourism (+ 31.1 %), health (+ 29.4 %), business support (+ 15.6 %) and transport and logistics (+ 15.7 %).

The 10 most in-demand occupations in 2022 among the vacancies collected by Pôle Emploi were those of general-purpose catering staff, kitchen staff, accounting, adult catering assistance, catering services, secretarial services, cashier staff, domestic services, sale of clothing and personal accessories, and finally food sales.

With 64 % of recruitment plans, the service sector remains the largest provider of employment in 2023. Almost 10 500 recruitments were reported for the year in this sector, mainly in personal services, with 43 % of potential projects (+ 2 points). Within this sector, , the healthcare and social work and accommodation and catering sub-sectors are showing strong growth, with increases of 23 % and 25 % respectively over the year, while the other services sub-sector is reporting a fall of 11 %.

Business services account for 21 % of employment projects, up from 23 % in 2022.

The retail sector accounts for almost 13 % of hiring intentions, more than 2 000 in total. The construction sector contributes to job growth with the highest annual increase (+ 23 %) for 1 800 potential posts (11 % of projects).

Similarly, agriculture is contributing positively to the increase in projects and reports a 12 % increase in recruitment projects over the year, representing just under 1 000 projects.

The industry sector is the only one not following the upward trend, with a decrease in reported hiring intentions in both the agri-food industry (- 12 %) and the manufacturing industry (- 19 %).

Links: Labour Needs (BMO) survey 2023

In December 2022, 30 % of jobseekers actively looking for employment were focused on 10 occupations. The most sought-after profession by job seekers was in domestic services.Cleaning and caring jobs for adults were second and third.

Finally, jobseekers showed a keen interest in secretarial work, maintenance of green spaces, sales of personal goods and accessories, assistance with children, leisure activities with children or teenagers, cashiering and stocking shelves in self-service.

Normandy, an open and dynamic region

Normandy has a strong maritime character, based on a 640-km long coastline and 8 major commercial ports. It serves as a gateway to France. It also holds a strategic position within Northwestern Europe, further enhanced by its proximity to Paris and London, and is recognised for its international economic engagement.

A balanced territory, with quality services

As a moderately sized region, Normandy offers an appealing quality of life. Its territory is organised around three major urban centres: Caen, Le Havre and Rouen, along with a network of significant urban areas: Alençon, Cherbourg, Dieppe, Evreux, Louviers.

Normandy's population can therefore enjoy high-quality and accessible services, encompassing healthcare, transportation, education, sports, and digital infrastructure.

Normandy's Economy is on the Rise, particularly in Industry.

Normandy's economic activity continued to rebound in 2022. More than 8 000 jobs were created in the region in the year. All sectors of activity contributing to job creation (except for non-commercial tertiary activities).

Robust research and innovation capacities

Normandy has been able to develop dynamic sectors such as agri-food, boating and renewable marine energy (currently under development). It also relies on the reputation of its industries: automotive, aerospace, petrochemicals, energy, pharmaceuticals, and more. And when it comes to research and innovation, Normandy is at the forefront in other areas including digital technology, materials and health-related applications.

The unemployment rate is at its lowest level in over forty years (6.7 %). Normandy is the French region with the most marked decline in the number of jobseekers over the year, particularly for category A (without any professional activity).

Key facts:

• 5 departments: Calvados, Eure, Manche, Orne, Seine-Maritime
• 3.3 million inhabitants (6th largest region in France)
• 35 % of GDP spent on export (2nd largest French region)
• EUR 27 180 GDP per capita (5th largest French region)
• 16.4 million visits to tourist sites (2018)
• 1st-ranked region in France for the number of students enrolled in European sections in middle schools and high schools

Links: www.pole-emploi.fr/region/normandie/index.html

www.pole-emploi.fr/region/normandie/les-publications-statistiques.html

Confirmed employment dynamics in Normandy

More than 139 700 planned hires have been expressed by recruiters in Normandy for 2023, as indicated in Pôle emploi's “Labour Needs” (BMO) survey. This number is up on 2022, with an increase of 12.1 % (15 110 more planned recruitments than the previous year).

‘Services to individuals’, and in particular ‘healthcare and social work’ are the leading recruiters.

The personal services sector was still the main job provider in 2023, with 58 300 intentions to hire. It accounts for 42 % of regional projects. The number of planned hires increased by 14.1 % in the sector.

In particular, ‘healthcare and social services’ remains at the top of the region’s hirings, with 20 600 potential jobs for 2023 (up 17.5 % year-on-year).

The 10 occupations most sought-after in Normandy are:

• Cleaners (including ATSEM, i.e. specialised nursery school cleaners)
• Café and restaurant serving staff (including assistants)
• Kitchen aides, apprentices, general-purpose kitchen staff
• Home helps and domestic cleaners
• Unskilled packaging and goods handling workers
• Nursing auxiliary staff (medical and psychological support workers, childcare assistants, medical assistants, etc.)
• Socio-cultural animation professionals (activity leaders and directors)
• Self-service store employees
• Cooks
• Domestic employees and cleaning staff

Sectors where recruitment is under pressure

Recruitment challenges in the labour market are intensifying in several sectors of the regional economy due to a decrease in the number of job seekers and a net employment increase in the region. These sectors experience high recruitment needs, such as hospitality and catering, culinary professions, as well as in healthcare and social work, construction, and transportation.

Links:www.pole-emploi.fr/region/normandie/les-publications-statistiques/les-entreprises-et-lemploi/lenquete-besoins-en-main-doeuvre.html

www.pole-emploi.fr/region/normandie/les-publications-statistiques.html

Many jobseekers in ‘personal and community services’.

Nearly a quarter of jobseekers in Normandy are looking for work in the ‘personal and community services’ sector (23 %). Many are also looking for employment in ‘commerce, sales and large-scale distribution’ (14 %) and ‘business support’ (11 %).

The 10 most sought-after occupations by jobseekers are as follows:

• Childcare assistance
• Cleaning of premises
• Warehousing and order fulfilment
• Domestic services
• Manual assembly, sorting or packing work
• Secretarial work
• Shelf-stackers and self-service
• Clothing and personal accessories sales
• Maintenance of green areas
• Adult care assistance

Links:

dataemploi.pole-emploi.fr/accueil ;

www.pole-emploi.fr/region/normandie/les-publications-statistiques.html

Although it is the largest region in France in terms of area, and the fourth in terms of population, Nouvelle-Aquitaine has a relatively old population, but it is attractive, particularly for young adults and young people. This vast region consists of twelve departments with heterogeneous characteristics: from Gironde, a densely populated and dynamic region, home of the city of Bordeaux, through to Creuse, one of France’s smallest departments, which is experiencing demographic decline and more economic and social difficulties. The departments near the coast are more dynamic than the rest of the region.

In January 2020, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region had nearly 6 million inhabitants, according to the census figures published by INSEE, and it made up 9 % of France’s population. The region is the fourth most populous region in metropolitan France, after Île de France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Hauts-de-France.

Over the 2014–2020 period, the population grew by an average of 0.4 % each year, practically identical to the rate in France as a whole (+ 0.3 %). According to INSEE, demographic growth is mainly driven by the coastal departments, due to their attractiveness. Arrivals in Nouvelle-Aquitaine of people who used to live in another French region are higher than the number of Nouvelle-Aquitaine inhabitants who leave the region to move elsewhere in France. The attractiveness of living in this region is the main reason for the growth in the region’s population. The region is popular with people from Île-de-France, who represent over a quarter of new arrivals. The arrivals are predominantly the young and educated.

The region is characterised by the predominant weight of its agricultural and forestry employment (Europe’s first agricultural region), while positioning itself in the agri-food, aerospace, space, wood and paper industries.

While industrial employment has declined sharply since 2008, current dynamics are generating a sustained demand for skilled employment.

The services sector, the region’s primary employer, benefits in particular from the region’s dynamism and demographic structure.

The regional economy generates significant labour needs, sometimes seasonal and low-skilled.

Finally, as is the case elsewhere, the digital transformation is dramatically changing the labour market, and there are needs in emerging sectors (digital economy, cryptography, etc.)

Cdiscount, Thales, Safran, Ceva, Legrand, Labeyrie, Delpeyrat and Total are some of the large groups based in the region.

Links: 

https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4482442#consulter

The Labour Needs (BMO) survey, conducted throughout the national territory every year by Pôle Emploi, makes it possible to identify the professions for which employers face the greatest recruitment challenges.

The service sector, particularly transport (lorry drivers), health and social work (nursing auxiliaries, nurses, home helps), hotels and catering (waiters in cafés/restaurants, cooks) are growth sectors with jobs considered difficult to fill by employers. Hard-to-fill jobs also are also observed in the construction and manufacturing sectors.

Seasonal employment in tourism and agriculture is very important and faces serious recruitment challenges.

Links: https://statistiques.pole-emploi.org/bmo/

https://www.observatoire-emploi-nouvelle-aquitaine.fr/rechercher-des-documents/par-thematique/les-entreprises/besoins-en-main-d-oeuvre/tous/1

The occupations most sought-after by jobseekers are:

• Childcare assistance
• Domestic services
• Cleaning of premises
• Secretarial work
• Clothing and personal accessories sales
• Shelf-stackers and self-service
• Warehousing and order fulfilment
• Kitchen staff
• Adult care assistance
• Short-distance drivers/delivery rounds

In Nouvelle-Aquitaine, there are more than 111 700 job vacancies available online on the Pôle Emploi website (pole-emploi.fr), almost half of which are for permanent contracts (54 %).

Links: https://www.pole-emploi.fr/accueil/

La Réunion is anisland in the west of the Indian Ocean, to the east of Africa, in the southern hemisphere. It is both an overseas department and region of France.

With an area of 2 512 km², La Réunion is located in theMascarenhasArchipelago,172 km to the west-south-west of Mauritius and 679 km to the east-south-east of Madagascar.

The population of La Réunion was estimated to be 858 000 on 1 January 2019. Between 2009 and 2019, it grew by an average of 4 200 inhabitants each year (+ 0.5 % per year). Its population growth remains more dynamic than in metropolitan France (+ 0.4 % per year), but is significantly lower than in the past: + 1.8 % yearly increase between 1990 and 1999 and + 1.5 % each year between 1999 and 2009. In 2019, the unemployment rate in La Réunion was 21 %, down three points compared to 2018. This decrease was not accompanied by a rise in the employment rate but more frequent exits from the labour market. As a result, for the fourth consecutive year, the active population shrank: the labour market participation rate dropped four points to 59 % in 2019. The decline in the activity rate affects both men and women, as well as the various age groups.

In 2017, companies in La Réunion generated EUR 7.4 billion in value added.

The value added that La Réunion’s profit-making companies generated in 2017 was EUR 7.4 billion, with a turnover of EUR 25.3 billion. Investment, largely driven by real estate activity, totals EUR 2 billion. It is concentrated in a few companies, with 5 % of companies, excluding micro-enterprises, making 94 % of all investments. Finally, compared to 2016, value added increased by 4 %, but this rise only concerns half of all companies.

A less-developed market sector than on the mainland

Despite dynamic job creation, only 52 % of the working-age population in La Réunion held a job at the end of 2018 (66 % in the rest of France). Furthermore, as sectors with high value added are not very developed, jobs are, on average, less productive. In addition to weak research and development, the market sector is in particular decline. It employs 31 % of all La Réunion inhabitants (45 % in France).

Jobs are particularly rare in industrial sectors, excluding the agri-food industry, consultancy services, finance and insurance, information and communication, which are highly productive sectors. Unlike other departments in France and other small island economies, this lack of employment with high added value is not offset by more jobs in retail, accommodation and catering services or by the self-employed. The non-market sector has the same presence as in the rest of France.

Compared to its neighbours in the Indian ocean area, La Réunion is, however, well-located and its per capita GDP is similar to other European outermost regions.

Establishments in La Réunion planned to recruit 35 100 workers in 2021, that is 900 more than in 2020 (+ 3 %).

Public establishments and associations expected to hire 14 600 people, which is 1 100 more than in 2020 (+ 9 %). More than 9 in 10 new jobs were in the sectors of public administration and teaching, health and social work, and association activities.The most sought-after occupation were cleaners (including school cleaners), gardeners and social and cultural activity professionals. These recruitments were mainly planned under employment skills course (Parcours emploi compétences) contracts.

Private establishments planned to recruit 20 500 workers, down 200 over the year (- 1 %). The accommodation and catering services and cultural activities sectors were still affected by the health crisis and were the main contributors to this decline. By contrast, construction and industry expected to provide many more jobs.

Two thirds of labour needs in the private sector were concentrated in the services and construction sectors. The most in-demand occupations were kitchen staff, builders, shelf-stackers, unskilled manual workers for structural works and secretaries. The recruitment difficulties identified by employers in the private sector affect 43 % of all planned recruitments. These difficulties are particularly high in agriculture, construction, industry and accommodation and catering services.

In 2021, the number of planned hires mainly rose in public establishments (+ 13%; + 800) and associations (+ 5 %; + 300).

Private establishments (excluding associations) expected to make 200 fewer hires than in 2020. Two sectors planned to increase recruitment significantly: construction (+ 500; + 13%) and industry (+ 200; + 11 %). By contrast, the health crisis had a very severe impact on two sectors, which are remaining very cautious in their recruitment plans:

accommodation and catering services (- 13%; - 250) and cultural activities (- 55%; - 200). The private sector considered 4 in 10 planned recruitments as posing recruitment difficulties.

Recruitment difficulties related to applicants

78 % of recruiting establishments anticipate recruitment difficulties and mention the unsuitability of applicants’ profiles for the post offered (- 7 points year-on-year).

The unsuitability of applicants’ profiles is mainly due to a lack of motivation, training and experience.

The main solutions that employers consider to their difficulties are calling on the services of Pôle Emploi, training external applicants and using temporary or other types of contracts.

In 2021, 6 800 establishments were potential recruiters, that is 29 % of all private sector employers. This proportion is 27 % for companies with fewer than 10 employees and 41 % for those with 10 employees or more. There were 20 500 planned hires, 200 fewer than in 2020. Accommodation and catering services and cultural activities are still affected by the health crisis and were the main contributors to this decline.

The 10 most in-demand occupations by the private sector (excluding associations)

• Kitchen aides, apprentices, general-purpose kitchen staff
• Builders, plasterers, tilers, etc. (skilled trades workers)
• Self-service store employees
• Unskilled manual labourers for structural works
• Secretaries (including medical secretaries)
• Cashiers (including petrol station attendants)
• Home help and domestic cleaners
• Skilled workers for public works, concrete and mining
• Sellers of foodstuffs
• Security and surveillance officers

Source: INSEE and Labour Needs Survey 2021 (summary and clarification)

https://www.insee.fr/fr/information

http://www.pole-emploi.org/

https://www.pole-emploi.fr/region/reunion/

In La Réunion, there are 181 240 registered jobseekers in all categories.

Unemployment affects both men and women; 58 % are aged 25 to 49;

• 37 % have a CAP (vocational training certificate) or BEP (vocational studies certificate) level of training;
• 22 % have a baccalaureate level of education;
• 16 % have a baccalaureate plus two or more years of further education

Regional distribution:

• The North employment catchment area: 21 % (38 940 jobseekers)
• The East employment catchment area: 14 % (24 520 jobseekers)
• The West employment catchment area: 26 % (46 540 jobseekers)
• The South employment catchment area: 39 % (71 250 jobseekers)

Source: INSEE and Labour Needs (BMO) Survey 2021 (summary and clarification), statistics, studies and evaluation of Pôle Emploi La Réunion (March 2021)

To find out more: https://www.insee.fr/fr/information

http://www.pole-emploi.org/

https://www.pole-emploi.fr/region/reunion/