Paraboot is overwhelmed with orders… but is struggling to hire. Its sales of shoes, made in Isère and costing around 400 euros, jumped 35% in 2021. However, one of its production lines has remained desperately empty for two years, in its factory in Saint-Jean-de-Moirans ( Isère), for lack of qualified workers.
“We are looking for skills that are no longer taught,” laments Éric Forestier, general manager of the century-old company, amidst the hubbub of machine tools. “We are one of the last shoemakers to use Norwegian stitching to attach the sole to the leather, while the rest of the industry uses bonding, which is cheaper but less durable. It has become rare to find this skill. This shortage has existed for 10 years, but it has increased with the retirement of employees, some of whom had 40 years of seniority. We also have employees who wanted to change jobs after the health crisis. We retain less loyalty than before”.
The plant already employs 95 people
At the end of 2021, Paraboot lacked around fifteen people to run at full speed, while the factory already employs 95 people. “Competition is fierce in the field of leather goods, adds Pierre Colin, Marketing Director, who has been with the company for 23 years. Even if we have increased salaries and added bonuses, we are faced with big luxury players, like Hermès, who capture the majority of talent in Isère. »
An experienced worker receives around 2200 euros per month, when a beginner will be above the minimum wage. It must then be trained internally in stitching and assembly, which can take a year. Hervé, in his forties, converted three years ago: “It takes time to master the gesture. If it is difficult to find people, it may be because the profession is not known among young people”.