Labour market information: France

The population of France was 67.4 million inhabitants as at 1 January 2021. In 2020, the population increased by 0.2%. The natural population change, the difference between the number of births and deaths, decreased significantly due to the high increase in deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing drop in the number of births, amounting to +67 000.

Life expectancy at birth is 85.1 years for women and 79.1 years for men.

After 2020, which was characterised by an unprecedented crisis and a fall in recruitment, the economic stimulus plans enabled a strong recovery, with an increase in gross domestic product of 7.0% in 2021.

The unemployment rate at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021 was 7.4%, a decrease of 0.7 points compared to the previous year.

In 2021, 27 728 000 people were in work. The employment rate of the population aged 15 to 64 was 67.3%, the highest rate since 1975.

In 2021, employers reported 2.72 million planned recruitments. After an exceptionally high rate in 2020 (before the health crisis), the number of planned recruitments has therefore returned to a level that is slightly higher than it was in 2019 (+1.1%).

Depending on whether they are primarily seasonal jobs or not, and whether or not there are recruitment difficulties, the most in-demand occupations in 2021 fall into the three main groups shown below.

• The first group, which experiences great difficulties in recruiting workers and planned recruitments that are not closely linked to the season, includes personal care and support professions, in particular home helps and domestic cleaners (83 100 planned recruitments, an increase of 8.8% compared to 2019) and personal care workers (85 700 planned recruitments, an increase of 19.6%). Both of these professions present greater than average recruitment difficulties, which are particularly high for home helps and domestic cleaners (77.3%). A significant proportion of economically active young people (43%) are recruited as personal care workers. This figure is slightly lower for home helps (18%), as a higher proportion of people aged at least 50 (34%) are recruited for such positions. The first group also includes design executives and engineers, IT research and development, and project managers in the IT sector (44 400 planned recruitments, a decrease of 6.1% compared to 2019), among which there are virtually no seasonal planned recruitments and characteristically high expected recruitment difficulties (65.6%). Recruitment is primarily focused on young people (53% of recent recruits are economically active young people).
• The second group concerns non-seasonal occupations for which recruiters do not anticipate great recruitment difficulties. They include business services occupations, such as cleaners (113 900 planned recruitments, an increase of 1.0%) and security and surveillance officers (45 100 planned recruitments, an increase of 17.0%). More than a quarter of employees recently recruited as cleaners are at least 50 years old.
• The third group concerns professions for which employers anticipate few recruitment difficulties and a high reliance on seasonal staff: agricultural occupations, shelf-stackers, unskilled packaging and goods handling workers, social and cultural activity professionals, artists. As is the case every year, agricultural occupations are among the most in-demand jobs (149 100 planned recruitments for winegrowers, arboriculturists and crop pickers, an increase of 5.4% compared to 2019, and 88 200 planned recruitments for farmers and agricultural labourers, an increase of 17.6%).

Recruitment needs are growing for many occupations.This is the case for medical and paramedical professions, such as personal care workers (planned recruitments increased by 14 100 between 2019 and 2021) and nurses (an increase of 10 900 planned recruitments), as well as construction jobs, including unskilled manual workers for structural works (+8 000 planned recruitments) and finishing works (+7 700), builders (+5 200 planned recruitments), plumbers and heating engineers (+3 900 planned recruitments) and roofers (+900 planned recruitments).

Employers expected 1.85 million non-seasonal recruitments in 2021, an increase of 3.5% compared to 2019, that is 63 100 additional non-seasonal planned hires. In contrast, seasonal planned recruitments decreased by 3.6%.

In total, two thirds of planned hires are not seasonal (67.8% compared to 66.2% in 2019).

The occupations registering the highest numbers of non-seasonal planned recruitments include those related to maintenance, security, transport and logistics (cleaners, security officers, unskilled packaging and goods handling workers, lorry drivers), care and social support professions (home helps, auxiliary nurses, nurses), engineers, design executives and R&D staff in IT and trade occupations (shelf-stackers, serving staff, etc.).

Required skills

Almost half of all employers who were asked about the skills being increasingly listed under the recruitment criteria as a result of the health crisis mentioned observance of rules and procedures, with the highest figures in the accommodation and catering industries, as well as in administrative and support services (around 60%). 47% of establishments also mentioned the ability to organise one’s work and to work independently, with the latter mentioned in all sectors. Finally, 13% mentioned proficient use of digital tools and the ability to work remotely, with a naturally higher proportion for employers where teleworking is necessary for at least one employee (19%).

Unsuitable applicant profiles are mainly due to a lack of professional experience, motivation, technical skills or training.

Source: INSEE and BMO (labour needs) Survey 2021, Pôle Emploi

The health crisis, the restrictions and the economic consequences of these had a major impact on business activity in 2020. In the 2021 Labour Needs Survey, comparisons were mainly made with the results of the 2019 survey.

The number of planned recruitments by employers slightly increased between 2019 and 2021 (+1.1%), and represented 2.72 million potential new jobs.

This means 30 000 more planned recruitments recorded in 2021 compared to 2019.

This slight increase in planned recruitments is driven by the construction sector (21.7% increase between 2019 and 2021) and agriculture (+9.5%), while the number of planned recruitments dropped in industry (-7.0%) and in business services (-7.1%).

By contrast, recruitment difficulties rose in health occupations between 2019 and 2021.

Agricultural occupations are among the most in-demand professions (149 100 planned

recruitments for winegrowers, arboriculturists and crop pickers, and 88 200 for farmers and agricultural labourers). Most of these planned recruitments are seasonal.

Business services jobs also feature among the most in-demand jobs: cleaners (113 900 planned recruitments), unskilled packaging and goods handling workers (75 400 planned recruitments). The expected recruitment difficulties are lower than average for these jobs. Anticipated recruitment was high in care and social support professions, including home helps and domestic cleaners

(83 100 planned hires) and personal care workers (85 700 planned hires).

Source: BMO (labour needs) Survey 2021, Pôle Emploi

In 2020, 31% of establishments stated that they had attempted to recruit and 12% stopped recruiting following the health crisis, particularly establishments that had to cease activity for at least one month as a result of the health crisis. The most affected sectors were accommodation and catering services (22% of establishments stopped recruiting), audiovisual and communication services (19%), leisure activities, art and shows (16%), and transport and warehousing (16%), wholesale trade, finance and insurance activities and real estate.

Source: BMO (labour needs) Survey 2021, Pôle Emploi

As at 1 January 2021, 349 554 people lived in Corsica.

Between 2013 and 2019, the population grew on average by 1.1% per year, that is three times higher than the national average (+0.4%).

In Corsica, more than half of all jobs are concentrated in 12 occupational fields. The numbers of tourists that visit the island make employment highly seasonal. This seasonal employment concerns hotels, cafes, restaurants and tourism, as well as in-person services such as in the food retail and bakery and confectionery trade.

As a result, there is a stronger reliance on fixed-term contracts and a high staff turnover rate.

Part-time work is less widespread than in mainland France but is frequent in the fields of cleaning and food retail. This is combined with a high proportion of fixed-term and short-term contracts.

By contrast, public works, construction, automobile services, air transport, wholesale trade and haulage mainly offer permanent contracts.

In the main occupational fields on the island, the average gross hourly salary is lower than in mainland France in construction, cleaning, wholesale trade and public works. In the latter two fields, the lower pay is mainly due to the different structure of establishments and jobs on the island.

The fields of haulage, air transport and private hospitalisation offer higher salaries in the region.

The services sector, the island’s largest employer, accounts for 79% of jobs,  with a particularly high concentration in accommodation and catering services.Construction forms another pillar of the economy, with a proportion of salaried jobs that is twice as high as the national level. By contrast, industry is underdeveloped.

The services sector covers a wide range of activities from trade to administration, and including transport, financial and property services, business services and personal services, education, healthcare and social work.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which led in particular to the lockdown of the population, significantly limited household consumption, an essential driver of the regional economy.

Corsica was therefore one of the most heavily impacted territories: economic activity fell by 35% in relation to the major contribution that the most affected economic sectors make to regional value added (retail, transport, accommodation and catering services, and construction). Moreover, the seasonal nature of economic activity was likely to increase the negative impact on the island. There were therefore a particularly high number of jobs in sectors that were severely affected, which led in particular to increased use of partial unemployment on the island (7 in 10 private employees). The lack of or postponement of seasonal recruitment could also have a lasting impact on the labour market.

Links: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4488662

The population of Brittany is continuing to grow.

There were some 3 371 158 inhabitants in Brittany as at 1 January 2021, making Brittany the ninth most populous region in France.

The most populous department is Ille-et-Vilaine with 1 094 636 inhabitants, followed by Finistère with 914 301 inhabitants, Morbihan with 763 103 inhabitants and Côtes d’Armor with 599 118 inhabitants.

Over the last 3 years, Brittany’s population has increased by 35 744 inhabitants. Côtes d’Armor was the only department to record a population decrease (466 fewer inhabitants). Ille-et-Vilaine had the highest increase with 25 408 more inhabitants.

There was a clear decline in employment in the context of the second lockdown.

The number of employees in the private sector in Brittany increased by 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2020 after a 2% increase in the third quarter. Over one year, 7 070 jobs were lost (-0.8%). Over the quarter, temporary work declined (-0.4%) after extensive use of temporary employment in the previous quarter (+22.1.%).

Total payroll (subject to social security contributions) shrank by 0.8% linked to a rise in partial unemployment, which represented 2.5% of total payroll compared to 0.9% in the third quarter.

The decline deepened due to the drop in employee numbers in services sectors affected by administrative closures in the areas of accommodation and catering services, the arts, shows and leisure activities. However, staff numbers in construction continued to grow.

The number of reported recruitments decreased by 10.7% in the fourth quarter after rising by 73.2% in the third quarter. With regard to the fourth quarter of 2019, the figure decreased by 21.3% in Brittany, compared to a reduction of 28.5% nationwide.

The unemployment rate in Brittany was 6.5% in the last quarter of 2020, while it reached 7.7% in metropolitan France. It was the lowest in France in 2020 as a whole. The Ille-et-Vilaine department stands out, with an unemployment rate of 6.2%. The other 3 departments have an almost identical unemployment rate: 6.9% in Morbihan and Finistère, and 7% in Côtes d’Armor.

In the first quarter of 2021, 147 980 jobseekers were registered in Brittany in category A (without employment). This number decreased by 1.1% over a quarter. Over one year, the variation was +4.2%, with 6 030 additional jobseekers.

If the jobseekers registered in categories B and C (those with a reduced amount of work) are added, the number in the first quarter of 2021 becomes 268 450 jobseekers. (+0.1% over a quarter; +3.4% over a year).

Older people account for 25.6% of all those registered with Pôle Emploi. This increased by 0.2% over a quarter and 3.9% over a year.

The number of young people under the age of 25 (14% of those registered) and seeking employment grew by 0.6% over a quarter and 5.4% over a year.

The proportion of jobseekers registered for a year or more reached 49.9% in the first quarter of 2021. It rose by 0.7 points over a quarter and by 3.2 points over a year.

Benefiting from an exceptional natural terrain, Brittany has developed a remarkable level of agricultural and industrial activity. Here, the agri-food business and agri-industry, the shipbuilding industry, digital technology, new energy and biotechnology are the high-performing sectors, in which there are a large number of innovative projects. The metropolitan area of Rennes forms the basis on which a top-level ‘research’ fabric is thus forming, giving rise to many research centres, competitiveness clusters and business clusters.

Source: INSEE, Pôle Emploi – Labour needs survey 2021

The 10 occupations most sought after by employers in 2021

Companies in Brittany planned to recruit 139 062 workers in 2021, 38% of which in retail, tourism and services, 13% in social and healthcare and social services and 11% as industrial workers (one third of which would be in the agri-food industry).

Source: Pôle Emploi – Labour needs survey 2021

The 10 occupations most sought after by jobseekers in the first quarter of 2021

Links: Source: Pôle Emploi – Labour market statistics 2021

As at 1 January 2021, the region had almost 3.8 million inhabitants, representing 5.9% of France’s population; between 2.2 million and 2.3 million economically active members of the population were recorded. These economically active inhabitants represent 75.6% of the region’s population. The region is one of France’s most attractive regions, due to the massive influx of young people onto the labour market, a high level of attractiveness to the working population and a female labour force that is higher than the national level. These three factors have led to growth in the labour force despite a recent decline in the natural population change. Furthermore, people retire earlier in this region, which intensifies the phenomenon. The region has 94 800 establishments employing more than a million employees in the private, non-agricultural sector. The number of employees has increased by 12.7% over the last 10 years.

At the end of March 2021, there were 170 900 jobseekers in category A, a year-on-year decrease of 2.1%.

Pays de la Loire is an industrial centre. The region ranks as France’s leading region for its share of industrial employment out of total employment: the share is 16.2%, which is 4 points higher than the national average. Pays de la Loire ranked second out of the 13 French regions but is now equally ranked with Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

Industrial activities also represent 17.7% of value added in the region, a proportion that is higher than the average in the other regions (16.2%).

The agri-food sector is the main employer of industry in the Loire, ahead of metallurgy, machine manufacturing, transport materials, plastics engineering and rubber. The regional economy is also based on a number of sectors that provide high added value such as aircraft construction and shipbuilding. In addition, the region has traditionally been highly specialised in the fashion industry (textiles, clothing, leather, shoes, leather goods). Pays de la Loire 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 region had over 57 000 temporary agency workers in the fourth quarter of 2020, ranking sixth in France (7.7% of temporary agency workers in the country). The sector is gradually increasing its staff numbers in the wake of the COVID crisis.

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 industry clusters:

• Atlanpôle Biothérapies (Nantes): cellular therapy and gene therapy, immunology/immunotherapy;
• Elastopôle (Nantes): materials, environment;
• EMC2 (Nantes): metal assemblies, complex composites;
• iD4CAR (Nantes): vehicle materials and architecture, on-board systems intelligence;
• Images et réseaux: digital innovation at the crossroads of technology and use;
• 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;
• 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;
• Végépolys (Angers): varietal innovation, plant protection, plant and health, horticulture and urban landscape;
• S2E2 (Nantes): electronic components, communicating and intelligent systems.

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

Job vacancies may be explained by the difficulties mentioned by employers in the Labour Needs survey conducted by Pôle Emploi. All the region’s sectors are in need of labour. The majority of planned recruitments are in services. The COVID crisis has changed the focus of these planned recruitments.

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

• business services and personal services: cleaners, home helps;
• hotel and catering sector: kitchen porters, cafe and restaurant serving staff;
• construction: unskilled manual workers for structural works;
• health: personal care workers, nurses, hospital services staff;
• transport: short-haul and long-haul lorry drivers;
• industry: unskilled manual workers in the food industry and goods handling;
• social and solidarity economy: artists (music, dance, shows, including art teachers).

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

In March 2021, the population of available workers was 170 900, representing a slight decrease over the year.

The main fields represented were:

• personal and community services: 17.1%, down 1.6%;
• retail, sales and large-scale distribution: 14.7%, down 2.0%;
• business support: 11.9%, down 1.6%.

More specifically, the professions most sought after by jobseekers are:

• personal and community services (childcare assistance, cleaning services, domestic services, adult care assistance);
• transport and logistics (warehousing and order fulfilment, manual handling of loads, short-distance drivers/delivery rounds);
• industry (manual assembly, sorting or packing work, operation of food production equipment, mechanical assembly and installation);
• business support services (secretarial, reception and information staff, administrative tasks, accounting, IT research and development);
• trade (selling of clothing and personal services, shelf-stacking in shops, cashiers, food sales, sales assistants).

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

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 basins, 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 2 974 000 employee jobs in the second quarter of 2020. Since the start of the year, this figure represents a decrease of 84 000 jobs across the region. In fact, after 67 000 jobs were lost in the first quarter (-2.7%), paid employment in the region decreased by a further 17 000 posts in the second quarter, that is a drop of 0.6% over the previous 3 months (compared to a national decrease of 0.9%). Apart from temporary agency work, which increased, and construction, which stagnated, all the other sectors continued to decline.

In the first quarter of 2021, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the number of jobseekers out of work and obliged to look for a job (category A), was an average of 412 000 in the quarter. This figure increased by 1.1% over the quarter (i.e. +4 340 people) and by 9.7% over the year. In metropolitan France, this number fell by 0.3% in that quarter (+6.8% over a year). In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the number of jobseekers obliged to look for a job, whether or not they had worked (categories A, B, C), was an average of 675 810 in the first quarter of 2021. This figure increased by 0.9% in the quarter (i.e. +6 150 people) and by 6.7% over the year. In metropolitan France, this number increased by 0.1% in that quarter (+4.9% over a year).

The services industry, excluding temporary agency work, shrank by 3.1% as a result of the massive job losses in accommodation and catering (-21.3%). Only the construction sector grew over the year (+2.1%), while industry continued its downward trend (-1.7%).

The leading industrial region in France. With over 505 000 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. Eight industrial sectors structure the regional economy: manufacturing of metal goods (Tefal, Ugitech, Constellium, Areva, Aubert & Duval, etc.), manufacturing of rubber and plastic goods (Michelin, but also plastics processing in Oyonnax and Haute-Loire), manufacturing of electrical and electronic goods (STMicroelectronics, Alstom, Somfy, etc.), manufacturing 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.

In March 2021, the number of reported recruitments lasting longer than one month (excluding temporary agency work) increased from 6.2% (after a decrease of 3.1%(r) in February and an increase of 18.9% in January) by 22.4% over 3 months. The year-on-year change (+14.4%), which was positive for the first time since August 2020, is closely linked to the low figures recorded in March 2020 during the first lockdown. The increase in recruitments reported in March 2021 is mainly due to permanent contracts (an increase of 12.5%), while fixed-term contracts lasting longer than a month rose slightly (+0.7%). The year-on-year growth in fixed-term contracts lasting longer than one month was 18.7%, while the figure was 10.3% for permanent contracts. In industry, the number of jobs with a contract longer than one month increased by 13.0% in March 2021. They also rose over one year by 28.7%.

In this dynamic and attractive region, and despite the major impact that the health crisis had on the labour market in 2020, businesses were recruiting, with plans to recruit 324 000 workers in 2021. The agricultural and agri-foodstuffs industry (14%), business support (13%), accommodation and catering (12%), health and social work (12%) and trade (12%) are the sectors that expected to recruit the highest numbers in the coming year. They are closely followed by construction (8%) and industry (7%).

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

Companies estimate that 47% of their planned recruitments will prove difficult. Construction (70%), health and social work (67%), transport and logistics (51%), industry (49%), business support (49%), hotels and catering (40%) are all sectors in which employers expect there to be difficulties in carrying out their planned recruitments. 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
• Home helps and domestic cleaners
• Cleaners
• Kitchen porters
• Unskilled packaging and goods handling workers
• Shelf-stackers
• Office and medical secretaries
• Engineers, design executives and R&D staff in IT
• Social and cultural activity professionals
• Unskilled manual workers for finishing buildings

1. Job vacancies:www.pole-emploi.fr
2. Regional information and news:

• https://www.pole-emploi.fr/region/auvergne-rhone-alpes/
• https://www.pole-emploi.org/regions/auvergne-rhone-alpes/

3. CV and cover letter on the ‘emploi store’ website:

• https://www.emploi-store.fr/portail/services/rechercher/cv
• https://cvdesignr.com/fr/lettre-de-motivation

4. Job descriptions: https://www.pole-emploi.fr/candidat/decouvrir-le-marche-du-travail/les-fiches-metiers.html
5. Labour market information: https://candidat.pole-emploi.fr/marche-du-travail/accueil
6. ‘La Bonne Boîte’: provides a list of companies that are highly likely to be recruiting in the coming 6 months: https://labonneboite.pole-emploi.fr/

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 2021

The Grand Est region has 5.52 million inhabitants, making up 8.2% of the total population of France.

Its population shrank by 0.5% between 2018 and 2021, while France’s total population grew by 0.6%. 28.5% of inhabitants in the Grand Est region are under 25 years old.

The employment rate (proportion of people aged 15 to 64 who have a job) in the Grand Est is 63.2%. In metropolitan France the employment rate is 64.2%.

Paid employment and economic sectors

The Grand Est region had almost 1 918 000 employees at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020. Total paid employment figures in the region dropped by 1.2% year on year and by 1.1% in France.

A year-on-year decrease in paid employment was recorded in all departments, connected with the health crisis. The Haute-Marne, Haut-Rhin, Vosges and Aube departments recorded the largest drops (respectively, -2.2%, -2.1%, -1.8% and -1.7%).

Industry accounted for almost 16% of paid employment in the region at the end of 2020, that is approximately 4 points higher than in the whole of France. One third of jobs in industry are in metallurgy and the agri-foods industry.

(Source: INSEE, employment estimates in the fourth quarter of 2020)

In the fourth quarter of 2020, the unemployment rate reached 7.7% of the economically active population in the Grand Est region. It remained stable compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. In metropolitan France, the figure was 7.7% (a year-on-year decrease of 0.1 percent).

The unemployment rate is higher than the regional average in the Aube (9.8%), Ardennes (9.4%), Vosges (8.2%) and Haut-Rhin (8.0%) departments.

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

Six of the 70 French industry clusters are located in the Grand Est region, grouping together nearly 900 companies. They focus on the materials, water and ecotechnology, energy, bio health resources and transport materials sectors.

The Grand Est is a powerful exporting region. 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 largest exporting sectors are the automobile, pharmacy, drinks, chemistry and machine manufacturing sectors.

Pre-employment reports

Pre-employment reports in the Grand Est region decreased by 21.2% between 2019 and 2020, in connection with the health crisis; they fell by 22.4% in services, 19.8% in industry, 14.0% in trade, 13.7% in agriculture and 7.6% in construction.

(Source: Social Security Contribution Collection Office-Agricultural Social Security (URSSAF-MSA), Pre-employment reports, 2020 annual total)

Recorded job vacancies

Compared to the situation before the health crisis, the number of job vacancies registered with Pôle Emploi decreased in the Grand Est. From February to April 2021, 54 190 job vacancies were recorded in the Grand Est, a decrease of 9.7% compared to the same period in 2019.

At the same time, offers of permanent contracts and temporary contracts decreased the most significantly (-15.0% and 16.0%, respectively, over 2 years). The number of fixed-term contracts (CDD) fell by 5.0%.

In comparison to the period from February to April 2019, the number of job vacancies recorded increased in the fields of health, banking and insurance, and personal and community services, but dropped significantly in the fields of hotels, catering, tourism, leisure and entertainment, and in trade, retail and large-scale distribution.

(Source: Pôle Emploi, total raw data over 3 months as at end April 2021)

One of the Grand Est region’s distinctive characteristics is that it is the French region with the highest number of cross-border workers.

The number of cross-border workers in the region is estimated at 191 380, or 8% of the economically active population.

Luxembourg is the most common destination for cross-border workers, with 106 270 commuters from the Grand Est region. 41 940 cross-border workers work in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate. North-Western Switzerland attracts 34 870 cross-border workers from the Grand Est region, particularly around Basel, and around 8 300 cross-border workers from the Grand Est commute to Belgium.

(Source: estimate by Pôle Emploi using the most recent data available as at 21 April 2021 and which is based on statistics from destination countries, as they are more recent than the census data available from INSEE).

Demand for employment. Over the first quarter of 2021 in the Grand Est, the number of jobseekers out of work and obliged to look for a job (category A), averaged 289 910. This number increased by 5.4% over a year (+6.8% in metropolitan France).

In the Grand Est region, the number of jobseekers obliged to look for a job, whether or not they had worked (categories A, B, C), averaged 463 530 in the first quarter of 2021. This number increased by 4.7% over a year (+4.9% in metropolitan France).

In the Grand Est, the number of jobseekers in categories A, B and C increased year-on-year by 1.1% in Vosges and 7.1% in Moselle.

(Source: Pôle Emploi, Labour market statistics, data adjusted for seasonality and working days in the first quarter of 2021)

(Source: INSEE, census, population estimates, provisional data as at 1 January 2021)

Companies’ planned recruitments

In 2021, planned recruitments fell by 5.6% compared to 2019, with 185 276 anticipated hires. Non-seasonal planned recruitments fell by just 1.3% compared to 2019.

In 2021, almost one in four establishments expected to recruit workers in the Grand Est region. The proportion of establishments that were potential recruiters decreased by 0.6% compared to 2019 to 24.1%.

The Grand Est is a wine-growing region with a high number of seasonal jobs in the agricultural sector: winegrowers and salaried farmers are among the occupations with the highest seasonal recruitment figures.

In 2021, 32.8% of planned recruitments involved a seasonal activity (that is 60 831 planned hires). Over 25 700 (around 42%) of these planned seasonal recruitments concerned winegrowers, salaried arboriculturists and crop pickers, and 3 500 concerned salaried farmers and agricultural labourers.

The occupations with the largest number of planned non-seasonal recruitments include cleaners (6 773 non-seasonal planned recruitments, which is 85.6% of the total anticipated recruitments for this occupation), home helps and domestic cleaners (4 888 non-seasonal planned recruitments, or 87.1%), shelf-stackers (4 829 planned non-seasonal recruitments, or 81.2%) and personal care workers (4 579 planned non-seasonal recruitments, which is 86.8% of the total).

In 2021, employers deemed 44.7% of anticipated recruitments to be difficult; they therefore stated that 82 825 planned hires would be difficult.

The occupations considered to present the greatest recruitment difficulties include the following: unskilled workers in metallurgy, glasswork, ceramics, construction materials; plumbers and heating engineers; nurses (nursing professionals and paediatric nurses); builders; skilled maintenance workers in mechanics; home helps, domestic cleaners and family workers; skilled workers for public works, concrete and mining; personal care workers (medical and psychological care workers, paediatric auxiliary nurses, medical assistants, etc.).

Links: Source: Labour Needs Survey 2021, conducted by Pôle Emploi and Crédoc

As at the end of March 2021, 465 558 jobseekers were obliged to look for a job, whether or not they had a reduced amount of work during the month (categories A, B and C).

61 400 of these jobseekers were under 25 years old and 125 424 were aged 50 or older. Almost 60% had an education level lower than the baccalaureate or had not obtained the baccalaureate. Conversely, 58 189 were educated to at least the level of 3 years of further education.

Just over 93 000 jobseekers, or slightly more than 20% of the total, were looking for a job in personal and community services. Cleaning of premises, childcare assistance and domestic services were the main occupations sought by these jobseekers.

There were 72 273 jobseekers looking for jobs in trade. Selling of clothing and personal accessories and shelf-stacking in shops had the highest numbers in this occupational category.

Industry, business support services and transport logistics were also in the top 5 occupational categories with the most jobseekers. Each of these areas had over 50 000 jobseekers.

In industry, the following occupations were particularly sought after: manual assembly work, sorting and mechanical assembly.

In the area of transport logistics, many jobseekers aim for warehousing and order fulfilment jobs, as well as driving load-moving vehicles and short distance driving.

Secretarial work is the most common business support occupation.

Ile-de-France is spread over 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 18.3% of the French population. Characterised by a young population (53% under the age of 40), the region accounts for 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 4.2 million salaried jobs in the private sector, Île-de-France is the leading region, with very competitive industry 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.

In the unique context of the health crisis, salaried employment decreased by 1.7%, particularly in those sectors affected by lockdown and the drop in tourism (hotels and catering services, airport services, etc.). Some sectors were able to withstand the effects, such as construction, which was driven by works for the Grand Paris Express and the 2024 Olympics. The upward trend in temporary work, which started in the second quarter of 2021, continued.

It should be noted that, with 73 900 businesses created in the first quarter of 2021, Île-de-France has continued to start new business ventures (a 33% year-on-year increase) with particularly strong growth in Seine-Saint-Denis.

The unemployment rate in the Île-de-France in the fourth quarter of 2020 was 7.7% of the economically active population, a decrease of 0.5% over one year. However, the number of jobseekers (in category A) increased in the first quarter of 2021 by 8% (1 057 000 jobseekers) compared to the previous year. The increase affected in particular young people (17.6%) and the long-term unemployed (+17.2%).

A significant number of planned recruitments in Île-de-France

In the labour needs survey (BMO) conducted by Pôle Emploi, 22.7% of the companies questioned anticipated recruiting workers (compared to 22.3% in 2019). The number of planned recruitments was over 477 000 in 2021 (17.5% of national planned recruitments). A significant increase was recorded in the construction sector compared to 2019 (+43.7% and almost 44 000 planned recruitments in 2021). In late 2020, 350 000 companies were surveyed to determine their recruitment plans for 2021.

Recruiters planned to hire 477 500 workers. Almost one in two job vacancies are located in Paris and Hauts-de-Seine.

The occupations most frequently covered by these recruitments are very varied, with jobs requiring highly skilled or unskilled workers. The most common long-term jobs are computer scientists, cleaners, artists, security officers and kitchen staff.

According to recruiters, recruitment difficulties are decreasing and this could concern slightly more than one third of all new jobs.

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

Occitania is an administrative region of France created by the territorial reform of 2014 and comprising 13 departments. 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 situation gives it a very diverse topography and climate. Occitania has two large cities (Toulouse and Montpellier), 10 airports, three commercial ports and 70 marinas. It has 44 employment catchment areas.

The region is highly attractive and its population grows an average of 0.8% every year (compared to +0.4% in France as a whole), which is an increase of nearly 45 000 inhabitants. This ranks Occitania as the third most dynamic region in France. Furthermore, almost half of the region’s population is concentrated in five urban areas: Toulouse, Montpellier, Perpignan, Nîmes and Béziers.

The border with Spain is 656 km long, following the ridge of 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. This has an effect on agriculture, tourism and transport.

With respect to employment, the region ranks fourth in terms of the number of jobs, with over 2.2 million salaried workers and over 200 000 active businesses. The over-represented sectors are aircraft and spacecraft manufacturing, agriculture, research and development, health and social work, and residential nursing care. The region has one of the highest unemployment rates in metropolitan France (9.3%) due to its high attractiveness.

The region of Occitania is a world leader in the aeronautics industry and European leader in the space industry, with 1 100 companies, and generates 102 000 jobs. It is also the second most important agricultural region in France, with 69 970 farmers. This represents 16% of French farms. Occitania is France’s leading region in organic farming, including in the winegrowing and livestock sectors. 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 owned seaports, Sète, Port-la-Nouvelle, Grau du Roi, and 70 marinas, lake and river ports. It has a ‘sea parliament’ and combines economic dynamism and environmental preservation. Its mountain ranges provide winter and summer sports resorts, and to exploit spa tourism. With this wealth of assets, the region welcomes 30 million tourists each year.

Where are the available jobs?

The health crisis resulting from COVID-19 epidemic and successive lockdowns severely damaged the region’s economy in 2020. From the month of March, the effects were noticeable on the labour market with, firstly, a drop in job vacancies gathered by the Occitania Pôle Emploi and, secondly, an increase in demand for jobs. Job vacancies have still barely returned to their pre-crisis levels. With respect to demand for jobs, the number of people registered with Pôle Emploi is almost 600 000 people, despite the cushioning effect of government schemes (including partial employment).

For the aerospace industry, a driver of regional growth in the western part of the region, it has been a historic crisis. Major players in the sector suffered from plummeting global air traffic, reducing their R&D and engineering spending as a result, which weakened the engineering and IT sectors as a consequence. Therefore, this crisis appears to be unprecedented as it has affected young people above all and very highly qualified people.

On the coast tourism was severely affected in 2020 by opening restrictions particularly in the hotels and catering services sector.

Given this difficult context, job vacancies published by Pôle Emploi decreased by almost 25% during 2020. However, most job vacancies continue to be concentrated in four occupational fields. As a priority, regional employers look for staff for personal and community services, trade, retail and wholesale distribution, construction, and also hotels and catering services, tourism, leisure and entertainment.

The occupations most sought after by employers:

• adult care assistance
• domestic services
• kitchen staff
• hygiene and comfort care for patients
• warehousing and order fulfilment
• cleaning of premises
• driving of long-distance goods vehicles
• general nursing care
• accounting
• childcare assistance
• shelf-stacking in shops
• car mechanics
• catering services
• multi-skilled catering staff
• bricklaying/masonry
• sale of foodstuffs
• secretarial work
• leisure activities for children or adolescents
• sales assistance
• private security and surveillance.

The proportion of long-term vacancies (permanent contracts and contracts longer than 6 months) is 55%, but this rate varies significantly from one occupational field to another. It is lowest in agriculture (34%) but much higher in the fields of retail (66%), banking (66%) or personal services (64%).

Two departments account for half the job vacancies: Haute-Garonne and Hérault.

Employment prospects for 2021

With respect to planned recruitments, companies were anticipating the removal of health restrictions and 28% planned to recruit in 2021. As a result of the health crisis, the demand for certain occupations has fallen. The most affected occupations include management professions, such as engineers, design executives and R&D staff in IT, as well as engineers, design executives and R&D staff in industry.

Industrial workers were also severely affected, including fitters, adjusters, inspection staff, other skilled workers in mechanics and skilled workers in electricity and electronics.

Over a third (35%) of the region’s planned recruitments were in retail, tourism and services occupations. The occupations most in demand by businesses include serving staff in cafes and restaurants (11 300 planned hires) and multi-skilled kitchen assistants, apprentices and staff (8 700). Businesses in this field planned to recruit workers for 2021 depending on developments in the health situation. These professions require, generally speaking, a low level of skills and are strongly associated with seasonal activity.

The prospects of permanent recruitment are high for home helps and domestic cleaners, personal care workers, cleaners of premises, multi-skilled kitchen assistants, apprentices and staff, nurses, nursing professionals and paediatric nurses.

The seasonal nature of employment is particularly pronounced in Occitania and concerns 43% 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. As a result, seasonal planned recruitments are dominant in agriculture, tourism and the agri-foodstuffs industry.

Where are the available workers?

The available workers are particularly concentrated in the conurbations of Toulouse, Montpellier, Nîmes and Perpignan. In Occitania, there are just under 600 000 people immediately available to seek employment, which represents an increase of 3.2% over one year.

The most sought-after occupations by jobseekers are:

• childcare assistance
• domestic services
• cleaning of premises
• secretarial work
• selling of clothing and personal accessories
• warehousing and order fulfilment
• shelf-stacking in shops
• kitchen staff
• adult care assistance
• short-distance drivers/delivery rounds
• catering services
• multi-skilled hospital service staff
• driving of long-distance goods vehicles
• reception and information
• bricklaying/masonry

In 2021, Guadeloupe had a population of 375 857 inhabitants.

The education level of jobseekers has increased consistently in line with the level of the general population. The labour market is dominated by older people, whose situation is deteriorating. An increase of 2.6% was observed in categories A, B and C (jobseekers in category A, B or C are obliged to actively seek employment, whether or not they had a reduced amount of work during the month). They represent 35.5% of demands for employment in 2020. This is linked to a high level of emigration of young people, who leave the Guadeloupe labour market to study or find their first job.

The number of jobseekers in categories A, B and C was 60 160, according to raw data, an increase of 0.6% compared to the previous year. The number of those registering with Pôle Emploi is higher than the number de-registering. In 2020, demand for employment among young people (under 25 years old) and older people (50 years old and over) increased, while the demand from adults aged 25 to 49 fell. Demand for long-term employment (one year or longer) is rising and represents 59.9% of all demands.

Overall, women are most affected by unemployment. At the end of 2020, the proportion of salaried jobs in Guadeloupe was stable but lower than at the end of 2019. In 2020, in the context of the health crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of partial unemployment helped to maintain employment, which did however decline.

Businesses in the accommodation and catering services and tourism sector have been experiencing a challenging period as a result of the pandemic. The number of businesses created in all sectors has slowed but is still high. Guadeloupe’s unemployment rate of 22% in the third quarter of 2020 remains high compared to the 8% across metropolitan France.

The services sector accounts for 82% of jobs. Public administration, teaching, health and social work account for a third of jobs in the region. In Guadeloupe, 82% of economically active people are employees, which is 6% lower than in metropolitan France.

The services sector is followed by industry, construction and agriculture. The health context affected prospects and planned recruitments in 2021; the proportion of establishments planning to recruit fell to 32%, compared to 34% in 2020. Labour needs also declined: the number of planned recruitments decreased by 6.2%, that is 1 056 fewer than in 2020.

Links:https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/5354995

There is potential in the following sectors. Agriculture: the average age of farmers and farmers in partnership is 53 years old. Industry: 825 industrial establishments are located in Baie-Mahault and have a total turnover of almost 650 million euros. Their proximity to the Grand Port Maritime de la Guadeloupe is beneficial to the development of industrial activities.

Waste, energy water: the total valued added is EUR 367 million.

Construction and public works: the average age of workers is 45 to 58 years old. Ongoing and future projects include: the expansion of the Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport; the construction of the new university hospital centre; the 4-star Transatlantique hotel as part of the extension of the Mémorial Acte culture centre; the expansion and renovation of the Club Med Saint-Anne; and the clearing of slum areas.

Transport: improvement of public transport.

Social work in line with the ageing of the population.

Administration: higher retirement age between 2018 and 2024

Tourism: activity remains high.

Innovative sectors: digital, maritime occupations, solidarity economy.

The health context did however affect prospects and planned recruitments in 2021: the proportion of establishments planning to recruit fell to 32% compared with 34% in 2020;

labour needs decreased by 6.2%, that is 1 056 fewer planned recruitments than in 2020.

The proportions of the 10 occupations with the highest numbers of job vacancies published are as follows:

Links: https://statistiques.pole-emploi.org/bmo/geo?fa=01&fb=971&le=0&nc=0&pp=…

Occupations with high unemployment

This category includes all unskilled occupations in industry, crafts, agricultural occupations, as well as some retail jobs (cashiers, etc.), tourism and transport professions (goods handling). These occupations, which are highly unstable and have a high unemployment rate, are associated with a low level of training and unattractive salaries. These occupations also have few prospects: artisans, scientific professions (excluding doctors and pharmacists), teachers, business executives and sales representatives, small and medium-sized farmers.

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 with a population that is growing due to births.

The region has infrastructural assets and a favourable geographical location with a Paris/Brussels road 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 and is becoming more diversified, with a greater shift towards services in certain parts of the territory (employment areas of Lille and Compiègne).

The most dominant sectors include the mechanical and metallurgy industry, chemistry, plastics engineering and agri-foodstuffs. These sectors are most commonly driven by major industrial or 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 provided especially in the northern and southern parts of the region. 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 economy of the Hauts de France region was affected by the health crisis, like the rest of the country, but it was able to demonstrate resilience and cope with changes to paid employment or demand for jobs more effectively

than at the national level.

Actions in the region were carried out with a particular focus on the vulnerable groups that are overrepresented in the region, in particularly those who receive the social minimum wage or non-job-related obstacles to employment.

In Hauts-de-France, services remain the largest provider of jobs, accounting for 63% of labour needs in the region. Two thirds of planned recruitments are for permanent, fixed-term or temporary contracts. The most sought-after profiles in 2021 were mainly in the services sectors, in health/social work (social and cultural activity professionals, personal care workers, nurses), logistics and transport (unskilled packaging and goods handling workers, truck drivers), services (cleaner, home helps and domestic cleaners), retail and distribution (shelf-stackers), catering services (kitchen porters and serving staff), entertainment (artists, professional entertainers) or security (security and surveillance officers).

Many 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.

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

A list is provided below of the most sought-after jobs among jobseekers in the region as at the end of March 2021

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.

The region’s productive fabric is made up of 547 000 establishments, that is 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, CNRS, amongst others.

In 2020, 1 820 000 people were employed in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, with either private or public employers.

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. 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 was thus 10.2% of the active population, which is the same rate as 2 years earlier. It fell by 0.7 points over one year. 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 (obliged to actively seek employment, working a reduced amount 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 occupations most sought after by jobseekers in the region are:

• cleaning of premises
• childcare assistance
• domestic services
• selling of clothing and personal accessories
• 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

The Bourgogne Franche-Comté region has 2.8 million inhabitants.

The territory covers 9% of the metropolitan area (it is the fifth largest region of the 13 new regions) and benefits from major infrastructure that supports its position as an economic hub: it has a motorway network of nearly 1 000 km; 442 km of high-speed railway lines (LGV) and 2 181 of traditional railway lines;

two airports and easier access to large airports outside major cities (Paris, Basel, etc.); a dense river network with links to Paris and Marseille.

The region has a metropolis, Dijon, located in the centre of a ‘metropolitan arch’, which stretches from Chalon-sur-Saône to Belfort via Besançon. The short distances and good connections with major transport infrastructure facilitate trade. Similarly, the proximity of the cities of Paris, Lyon and Switzerland give the region an additional level for development in the residential and productive spheres.

Bourgogne Franche-Comté is the leading industrial region in France. Four sectors are dominant: metallurgy (Areva, Industreel, Aperam Stainless), manufacturing of transport material (PSA Peugeot Citroën), the agri-food industry, manufacturing of rubber and plastic products, and exceptional expertise (watchmaking, etc.). The geographic distribution of establishments and their activities have specific territorial features.

The region has five centres of competitiveness: Vitagora, the microtechnology centre, Plastipolis, the Bourgogne nuclear centre and the vehicle of the future centre. The activities of research and development, particularly in the automotive field, capital goods, agri-foodstuffs, microtechnology and nuclear energy are well-known. The region ranks sixth in France in terms of research activities.

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, Charolais and poultry.

In addition, the region also has a rich heritage, expertise and skills, and offers a wide variety of tourist activities, including food and wine tourism (many PDOs), ecological or sports tourism (with the landscapes and natural sites of Morvan and Jura), river tourism, cultural tourism (Hospices de Beaune, Vézelay, and more), etc. Visitors to the region’s hotels are mainly European, but tourists from Asia choosing to stay in the region are increasing.

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

23.1% of establishments in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté intended to recruit in 2021 (compared to 26.5% nationally). This proportion was higher for establishments in construction (29.4%) and in the agri-food industry and agriculture (26.3%). Companies with 100 employees or more made the highest proportion of recruitments. Almost 80% of these businesses planned at least one recruitment in the course of the year. Finally, establishments with zero to nine employees planned 44% of all recruitments.

Close to 94 300 planned recruitments were reported in 2021 in the region, around 1 900 more than in 2019. Services were the main contributor, accounting for 53% of planned recruitments (an increase of 8% in two years), ahead of the agricultural sector and agri-food industry, IAA (19%), which rose by 4% compared to 2019. 12 000 planned recruitments were in industry, with 9 100 in the manufacturing industry, where the number of planned hires decreased by 15% in two years, followed bytrade (10 400 planned recruitments, that is 11% of all planned hires, an increase of 7% over two years). Finally, 6 400 intentions to hire were recorded in construction, up 3% on 2019.

All sectors experienced a reduction in recruitment difficulties, which dropped from 51% in 2019 to 46% in 2021 (45% in France). The proportion of these planned recruitments was between 39% for the agri-food industry and agriculture, and 75% for construction.

The proportion of planned recruitments that were seasonal slightly decreased, from 35% in 2019 to 34% in 2021 (32% in France), driven by the manufacturing industry in particular (-6 points over two years) and services (-2 points). This proportion remained the highest in agriculture and the agri-foodstuff industry with 81%.

Dijon, with 14 200 planned recruitments, was the main contributor in terms of volume (15% of the region), followed by Besançon (8 600), Mâcon (7 400), Chalon-sur-Saône (6 800) and Beaune (6 300).

Links: http://www.observatoire-poleemploi-bfc.fr/asp/mai_html/htm_vie.asp?htmid=687

Links: http://www.observatoire-poleemploi-bfc.fr/asp/mai_met/htm_met.asp?modloc=GE000

The Centre Val de Loire region is the seventh largest region in metropolitan France, covering 39 151 km² or 7.2% of the metropolitan territory, and it has six departments and 22 employment catchment areas. Its prefecture, located in Loiret in Orléans, is one hour from Paris, and the region has an ideal logistical location in the centre of France and the European market:

• it has a dense road network with over 1 000 km of motorways (A6, A10, A11, A19, A20, A28, A71, A77 and A85);
• TGV Atlantique trains are present in Vendôme and Tours;
• there is an international freight airport in Chateauroux-Déols and a passenger airport in Tours St Symphorien.

The estimated population as at 1 January 2018 was 2 582 522 inhabitants, with a forecasted 2.8 million inhabitants by 2040, the most dynamic region in the Greater Paris Basin. In fact, migratory flows are dominated by trade with Île-de-France.

There are three main economic zones:

• the Francilienne area, which developed thanks to its proximity to Île-de-France;

• La Touraine, a territory structured around the urban area of Tours and set in the Loire Valley, benefiting from direct connections to Anjou and Maine;
• Le Berry, an isolated area in the southernmost part of the Centre region, which has a shrinking population, a predominantly rural economy and greater difficulty in attracting industries and services.

The region has over 60 000 students and two universities (Orléans and Tours);

• several engineering schools (Polytech Orléans, Polytech Tours, Polytech Chartres, INSA Centre Val de Loire Blois and Bourges campuses;
• seven technological university institutes (Orléans, Tours, Blois, Bourges, Chartres, Châteauroux-Issoudun);
• three business schools (ESCEM in Tours, ESCEM in Orléans, ISC Orléans and ESCVL in Blois).

Value added is mainly produced by the agricultural sector and industry, with lower proportions by the services sector.

• Agriculture is predominantly cereal-based, but vines, orchards, vegetables and nursery plants are also grown (52% of the land is cultivated, which is 11% of all land in France).
• Paid employment in industry is higher than in metropolitan France (22% versus 16%), in particular in the manufacturing industry (most notably, metallurgy, rubber, plastic, the pharmaceutical industry and cosmetics industry with the Cosmetic Valley). The region is also focused on the printing industry and has a high presence of industrial sub-contractors and components.

The high importance of industry results in significant use of temporary employment, the rate of which is regularly the highest nationally.

• Due to these features and its geography, the region also has key locations for logistics and call centres.

Nuclear is the main energy produced, accounting for 17% of national nuclear energy production.

Wood is the largest source of renewable energy in the Centre region; 27% of land in the region is forested and its wind farms account for over 9% of production in metropolitan France.

According to INSEE, the unemployment rate is traditionally lower than in metropolitan France, reaching 7.1% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to a national rate of 7.7%.

According to the Labour needs survey, 82 216 recruitments were planned in 2021 in the Centre-Val de Loire region, which has risen since the 2019 survey.

The 15 occupations with the highest number of recruitments intentions were as follows:

• cleaners > 3 192;
• personal care workers > 2 578;
• unskilled manual workers in packaging and freight handling > 1 595;
• home helps, domestic cleaners, family workers > 1 575;
• unskilled manual workers for structural works > 1 251;
• nurses, nursing professionals and paediatric nurses > 1 196;
• multi-skilled kitchen assistants, apprentices and staff > 1 144;
• school supervisors > 1 126;
• hospital services staff  > 1 065;
• short-haul and long-haul HGV drivers > 1 048;
• office secretaries and similar occupations > 1 043;
• various administrative officers > 921;
• shelf-stackers > 911;
• specialised teachers > 872;
• unskilled manual workers for metal removal or forming > 833.

The departments of Loiret, Indre-et-Loire, in the Loire Valley, account for 51.4% of these planned recruitments (more than a third of which are concentrated solely in the employment catchment areas of Tours and Orléans, followed by Eure and Loir (14.5%). The south of the region has lower potential.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, there were four sectors, listed below, with particularly high recruitment difficulties.

• Construction occupations. There was a particular need for skilled workers in metal removal; carpenters; maintenance and environmental technicians and supervisors; plumbers; heating engineers; construction superintendents; site supervisors.
• Transport and logistics. Unskilled workers in preparation and production; road transport drivers; public transport drivers; office-based transport operations officers; light vehicle drivers (taxis, ambulances, etc.).
• Hotels, catering and tourism. Multi-skilled kitchen assistants, apprentices and staff; cooks; cafe and restaurant serving staff, including assistants; hotel staff; kitchen chefs.
• Agri-food industry. Production management and engineering; food production equipment operation; manual assembly, sorting or packing work; team managers in the processing industry; slaughtering and meat cutting; preparation of industrial materials and products.

To find out more: Pole-emploi.org, DIRECCTE Centre-Val de Loire, ORFE, Acoss-Urssaf

To find out more:

Pole-emploi.org

Direccte Centre

ORFE

Acoss-Urssaf

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 occupations most sought after by employers are:

• school supervisors, learning support assistants and teaching assistants
• cleaners (including specialised nursery school cleaners)
• social and cultural activity professionals
• unskilled manual workers 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
• multi-skilled kitchen assistants, apprentices and staff
• unskilled packaging and goods handling workers.

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

• education and supervision within educational establishments
• maintenance of buildings and premises
• cleaning of premises
• secretarial work
• childcare assistance.

The 10 occupations or sectors most sought after 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 at 1 January 2020, the population of Martinique was 359 821. Since 2007, the Martinique population has been shrinking steadily. This decrease is mainly due to negative net migration, while natural population change is slightly positive. Furthermore, demographic ageing is accelerating: its rate has now passed 100%, which means that there are more people aged 65 and over than under 20 years old.

As is the case for all French regions, Martinique has not been spared from the severity of the COVID-19 global health crisis. However, the significant role of the non-market sector and, more specifically, of public employment in the economy, in addition to business and employment support measures, limited the impact of the health crisis on employment.

In 2020, the number of unemployed, as defined by the ILO, decreased (-4 900) to reach 17 900 in Martinique. The unemployment rate therefore fell by 12% in 2020, compared to 15% in 2019. These statistics suggest that the employment market has managed to withstand the crisis, but they must be seen in the context of the exceptional changes resulting from the health crisis.

The temporary measures (short-term work, sick leave, childcare leave, etc.) rolled out to keep people affected by the economic and health effects of the crisis in work limited the rise in jobseekers.

Furthermore, restrictions on activities and travel during lockdowns have meant that a proportion of the unemployed population (who were unavailable and unable to search for employment) have been reclassified in the inactive category. The active population thus decreased by 7% in 2020.

At the end of December, the number of jobseekers in category A (jobseekers at the end of month, DEFM A) was 38 440 people (seasonally adjusted), down 1.7% compared to the fourth quarter of 2019 (after a decrease of 0.2% in the previous quarter). Although the number of jobseekers in category A dropped, jobseekers in category D (that is unemployed, but not obliged to seek employment due to training, illness or immediate unavailability) and E (with a subsidised contract) increased sharply (by 30.3% and 4.1%, respectively).

The lockdowns introduced to stem the pandemic have had a much more severe impact on certain sectors of the Martinique economy than others. Agriculture, the hotel industry and catering services, and transport and logistics have been especially hard hit as they are more vulnerable to government restrictions.

As a result, paid employment only declined by 0.4% over the year, representing 470 jobs lost. This decrease only concerns the private sector (-0.8%). It fluctuated sharply throughout the year: in the second quarter, the decrease was 1.6% followed by an increase of 2.1% in the third quarter.

At the same time, the recovery of business activity was reflected in an increase in the number of planned recruitments from 13 019 in 2020 to 13 624 in 2021, that is +4.7% in one year. 31.3% of employers questioned as part of the Labour Needs Survey expected to recruit workers in 2021 compared to 30.5% in 2020. While a cautious environment still remains, employers have expressed some optimism, although they are still being prudent and favouring less stable contracts as a result. This means that 1 in 2 planned recruitments is for a fixed-term contract of under six months, while in 2020 more potential permanent contracts were recorded.

The increase in planned recruitments concerns all business sectors, except the agri-food industry, agriculture and construction, in which recruitment intentions have fallen. With over 8 400 expressed needs for workers, the services sector accounts for 62% of total planned hires. It is continuing to grow (+9%), driven by the attractiveness of the health and social work sectors (+250 posts) or other services (+237 posts). The agriculture sectors (-231 posts), agri-food industry (-101 posts) and construction are experiencing a real decline. The extractive industry, energy and waste management stand out with active recruitment of 94 more posts over one year.

Links: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/5387702?sommaire=5017345

https://www.iedom.fr/martinique/publications/rapports-annuels/rapports-annuels/article/rapport-annuel-economique-2020-iedom-martinique

https://www.pole-emploi.org/statistiques-analyses/

https://statistiques.pole-emploi.org/bmo/static/regpub?fi=02

Whether predominantly seasonal or not, or considered to present recruitment difficulties, the occupations most in demand in 2021 still have a highly diverse profile.

Services occupations are present under various job titles and strongly represented in the top 15 most sought-after jobs.

Catering services had the highest recruitment needs in 2021, for the posts of kitchen assistants, apprentices and staff in accommodation and catering services. Similarly, cafe and restaurant serving staff ranked 11th in terms of recruitment needs.

Services occupations are also found in health services and social work, including social and cultural activity professionals and personal care workers, personal and community services with home helps and domestic cleaners or cleaners of premises, and also management services and business administration with office secretaries.

Occupations in agriculture, construction and maintenance are also included in the 15 most sought-after professions; they include salaried farmers and agricultural labourers or salaried gardeners and landscapers, unskilled manual workers for structural works, masons and maintenance technicians and supervisors.

An observation of the 15 most sought-after occupations reveals four groups:

• first quadrant – profiles where recruitment difficulties are high but planned recruitments have a low seasonal link, including unskilled manual workers for structural works, home helps and masons, plasterers and tilers, etc.;
• second quadrant – professions in which recruitment is relatively less difficult and hiring is less seasonal than the regional average: gardeners, personal care workers, clothing sales assistants or office secretaries, etc.;
• third quadrant – occupations for which employers anticipate slight difficulties and a high proportion of seasonal hires for a wide variety of profiles, including unskilled packaging and goods handling workers, multi-skilled kitchen staff;
• fourth quadrant – occupations with high recruitment difficulties and a significant proportion of seasonal hires: cafe and restaurant serving staff (including assistants), and salaried farmers and agricultural labourers.

Links: https://statistiques.pole-emploi.org/bmo/static/regpub?fi=02

The 10 occupations reporting the least recruitment difficulties are:

• professional entertainers
• cleaners (including specialised nursery school cleaners)
• artists (music, dance, shows, including art teachers)
• sellers of foodstuffs
• office secretaries and similar occupations (including medical secretaries)
• salespersons for clothing, accessories and luxury items, sport, leisure and culture
• multi-skilled kitchen assistants, apprentices and staff
• various administrative officers (data entry, HR support, inquiries, etc.)
• cashiers (including petrol station attendants)
• personal care workers (medical and psychological support workers, childcare assistants, medical assistants, etc.)
• specialised teachers (including teachers for young children)
• salaried gardeners, landscapers
• short-haul and long-haul lorry drivers

Links: https://statistiques.pole-emploi.org/bmo/static/regpub?fi=02

As at 1 January 2020, there were 3 303 500 inhabitants in Normandy, that is 5% of the population of metropolitan France. Normandy ranks tenth out of the metropolitan regions, ahead of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Centre-Val de Loire and Corsica.

Although Normandy’s population grew consistently between 1990 and 2015, it did so at a slower pace than in metropolitan France. Since 2015, the number of inhabitants has been declining in the region (-0.2% per year), while it has been rising slightly at national level (+0.2%). In 2019, this decrease continued to be slightly more pronounced than in 2018 (-0.3% versus -0.2%) and affected five departments in Normandy.

The natural population change has been negative for the second consecutive year, and inhabitants continue to leave the region more often than they arrive. The fall in births continued in 2019 due to the decrease in the number of women of childbearing age. Deaths continue to rise as a consequence of population ageing.

As at 1 January 2020, 22% of Normandy residents were aged 65 or over, higher than the average in France (+1.5%), and the proportion is steadily increasing.

The unemployment rate was 7.7% in Normandy in the fourth quarter of 2020 (like in metropolitan France). In one year, the unemployment rate fell by 0.3% in Normandy and 0.1% in metropolitan France.

The number of salaried employees in Normandy stood at 1 159 800 in the fourth quarter of 2020. Normandy accounts for 4.6% of salaried employment in metropolitan France.

In one year, paid employment excluding temporary work rose by 0.7% in the non-market services sector, driven by the health sector, but dropped sharply in the market services sector (-2.4%).

Normandy has all the assets to develop a competitive economy on a European and international scale. The regional economic landscape is characterised by the strong presence of economic sectors of excellence, in particular agri-foodstuffs, the automotive industry, aeronautics and space, chemistry, pharmacy and cosmetics, energy generation, the equine sector, logistics, shipbuilding and nautical tourism, and digital technology.

According to the labour needs survey, 25.7% of establishments intended to recruit at least one employee during 2021, which means that establishments in Normandy planned 112 500 hires in 2021.

The personal services sector was still the main job provider in 2021, with 48 600 intentions to hire. It covers 43% of planned recruitments in the region (like in 2019). In particular, health and social work are the leading employment providers in the region with 20 530 potential jobs in 2021 (2 150 more planned hires than in 2019). The retail sector accounted for 14 200 planned recruitments (13% of regional planned hires), which is almost 1 000 more than in 2019. The number of planned recruitments increased sharply in the construction sector (+34.4% compared to 2019, that is 2 520 additional planned hires).

In 2021, the 10 occupations most sought after in Normandy were:

In the first quarter of 2021, the number of economically inactive jobseekers was 280 160 in Normandy. This number increased by 2.1% over a year.

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

• childcare assistance
• cleaning of premises
• domestic services
• warehousing and order fulfilment
• manual assembly, sorting or packing work
• secretarial work
• shelf-stacking in shops
• selling of clothing and personal accessories
• maintenance of green areas
• adult care assistance
• maintenance of green areas

Although it is the largest region in France in terms of area, and the fourth in terms of population, Nouvelle-Aquitaine is not very densely populated, 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 2018, 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 2013-2018 period, the population grew by an average of 0.5% each year, practically identical to the rate in France as a whole (+0.4%). According to INSEE, this increase is entirely due to a higher number of immigrants than emigrants, as the natural growth rate became negative over that period, with slightly higher deaths than births. Consequently, the national institute described Nouvelle-Aquitaine as one of the most attractive regions, behind Corsica and Occitania. 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. People arriving to the region are mainly young and graduates. It is noteworthy that, in 2017, the region had 39 200 British residents, that is over a quarter of the British population in France.

Its economic activity reflects these particularities, as there is a strong presence of agriculture (Europe’s leading agricultural region), tourism and medico-social services, and strong dynamism in most sectors.

The strongly ‘in-place’ economy gives rise to significant labour needs, in some cases seasonal and low-skilled.

The region’s old and ageing population creates needs in other fields, such as health, transport, leisure, housing, food and urban planning.

The region is also industrial, with a diverse range of needs in agri-food, the manufacture of transport equipment, the manufacture of beverages, or woodworking.

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.cap-metiers.pro/TELECHARGEMENT/4442/_portrait_territorial_nouvelle_aquitaine__pdf_.pdf

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

The Besoins en Main d’œuvre (BMO, Labour Needs) survey, conducted throughout the national territory every year by Pôle Emploi, makes it possible to identify the occupations for which employers have the most difficulties in recruiting.

The construction sector is a growth sector with jobs that are regarded as difficult to fill by employers: profiles such as ‘carpenters (wood or metal)’, ‘operators of building and public works machinery and lifting machinery’, ‘roofers, qualified zinc roofers’, ‘plumbers/heating engineers’ or ‘building electricians’ are frequently in demand.

The health and social work sector faces similar challenges in filling jobs for personal care workers or home helps.

The primarily seasonal roles ‘wine producers, salaried arboriculturists, crop pickers’ and ‘salaried farmers, agricultural labourers’ are encountering difficulties.

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
• selling of clothing and personal accessories
• shelf-stacking in shops
• warehousing and order fulfilment
• kitchen staff
• adult care assistance
• maintenance of green areas.

In Nouvelle-Aquitaine, there are close to 86 000 job vacancies available online on the Pôle Emploi website (pole-emploi.fr), almost half of which are for permanent contracts.

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

La Réunion is an island 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 the Mascarenhas Archipelago, 172 km to the west-south-west ofMauritius and 679 km to the east-south-east of Madagascar.

The population of La Réunion was estimated to be 858 000 as at 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 one 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 over one 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, which is 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)

• multi-skilled kitchen assistants, apprentices and staff
• builders, plasterers, tilers, etc. (skilled trades workers)
• shelf-stackers
• unskilled manual workers for structural works
• secretaries (including medical secretaries)
• cashiers (including petrol station attendants)
• home helps 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)

To find out more

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 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/