The French economy continues to go through a strong zone of turbulence. Between inflation and sluggish growth, business and household morale continue to plummet. INSEE expects gross domestic product (GDP) growth to be very slightly positive in the first half. Despite this gloomy context, company recruitment projects remain at a high level in 2023, above three million as in 2022.
In a vast survey on labor needs (BMO), Pôle emploi announced that companies want to recruit massively this year in certain sectors. “Even if there is an economic slowdown, the level of offers identified remains high”declared Stéphane Ducatez, deputy director of Pôle emploi during a press briefing organized in Paris on April 7. “On long-term contracts (permanent or fixed-term contracts of more than 6 months), hiring increased by 25% compared to 2019. On the other hand, hiring on short-term contracts fell”, he added. These recruitment intentions are generating tensions on the labor market, while the unemployment rate is stabilizing at 7.2% of the active population and could rise again according to several forecasting institutes.
Cafe and restaurant servers, coveted agricultural workers
Among the 10 most sought-after professions in 2023, first and foremost are waiters in cafes and restaurants. The companies surveyed by Pôle emploi announced more than 122,000 recruitment projects in 2023. After the three long years of the pandemic, breweries and restaurants still have to deal with labor shortages all over the territory. The arrival of the summer season with the floods of tourists on the maritime coast should accentuate the recruitment battle between employers.
On the second step of the most coveted trades, arrive the seasonal agricultural trades in viticulture, arboriculture, pickers (121,000 recruitment projects). This is followed by general-purpose kitchen employees and apprentices (109,000), building maintenance workers (104,000) and finally agricultural workers (91,000).
Home helpers and unskilled workers in high demand
In the tertiary sector, home helps and housekeepers come in sixth position with 88,000 recruitment projects identified by Pôle emploi. Caregivers are also highly sought after (82,000). In socio-cultural animation, more than 88,000 hiring intentions are recorded.
Finally, unskilled workers in packaging (76,000) and cooks (67,000) arrive respectively at the ninth and tenth steps of the ranking of the 10 most sought-after professions by companies in 2023. In the end, the hotel sector and catering are driving hiring on the French labor market.
The labor shortage, the main concern of companies
The flagship survey of Pôle emploi and Credoc underlines that the shortage of candidates represents the first concern of companies. In fact, 85% of respondents to the study mentioned this reason for difficulty in the first place. Then comes the lack of match between the profile of the candidate and the expectations of the employer (79%), the working conditions (37%) or even the financial means (23%).
All in all, companies foresee a significant increase in the obstacles to recruiting. All trades are affected by recruitment difficulties, underlined Stéphane Ducatez, director of the network at Pôle emploi. Suffice to say that competition between employers promises to be fierce on the French labor market.