Despite a job vacancy rate of 2.4 percent in 2023, France is currently facing labor shortages in various sectors. The European Labour Authority (EURES) has identified shortages in industries such as construction, healthcare, IT, engineering, agriculture, and manufacturing. This scarcity of labor has created demand for workers in specific occupations.

According to the 2022 EURES report on shortages and surpluses, the following occupations are currently in high demand in France:

1. Accounting and bookkeeping clerks
2. Agricultural and industrial machinery mechanics and repairers
3. Applications programmers
4. Bricklayers and related workers
5. Business services and administration managers not elsewhere classified
6. Cabinet makers and related workers
7. Cartographers and surveyors
8. Civil engineering technicians
9. Concrete placers, concrete finishers, and related workers
10. Cooks
11. Domestic cleaners and helpers
12. Earthmoving and related plant operators
13. Electrical engineering technicians
14. Electronic mechanics and servicers
15. Financial and insurance brand managers
16. Forestry and related workers
17. Healthcare assistants
18. Human resource managers
19. Information and communication technology operations technicians
20. Manufacturing managers
21. Mechanical engineering technicians
22. Metal processing plant operators
23. Mobile farm and forestry plant operators
24. Nursing associate professionals
25. Pharmaceutical technicians and assistants
26. Physiotherapists
27. Power production and plant operators
28. Printers
29. Real estate agents and property managers
30. Sewing machine operators
31. Developers and analysts not elsewhere classified
32. Plant machine operators not elsewhere classified
33. Structural metal preparers and erectors
34. Tailors, dressmakers, furriers, and hatters
35. Telecommunications engineers
36. Vocational education teachers
37. Welders and flame cutters

Foreign workers specializing in these professions may find increased opportunities for employment and work visas in France.

A September report from Le Monde emphasized the significant reliance of the French economy on immigrant workers, many of whom operate in irregular situations without proper work permits. Some members of President Emmanuel Macron’s parliamentary majority consider these workers essential.

Conversely, occupations with surpluses in France include authors, building caretakers, cashiers, ticket clerks, gallery, museum, and library technicians, general office clerks, graphic and multimedia designers, journalists, artistic and cultural associate professionals, music teachers, PR professionals, shop supervisors, social work associate professionals, transport conductors, travel consultants and clerks, and visual artists.

Visa requirements for working in France vary based on nationality. Citizens of the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland do not require a visa to work in France. However, citizens of other countries must obtain a French Work Visa, which is contingent upon meeting various criteria, including securing a job offer from an employer in France. Understanding the demand and surplus in specific occupations can assist prospective workers in navigating the French job market effectively.