Jobs that are hiring in France in 2026: sectors and profiles in demand

Key takeaways

• Apec forecasts 305,800 executive hires in France in 2026, up 4 % on 2025 (294,500 hires, down 3 % year on year)

• Three job families concentrate most of the demand: IT, engineering and R&D, sales and marketing

• The recovery is uneven: high value added services grow around 6 %, while industry is still down around 5 %

• Île-de-France remains by far the largest executive market, with growth of 5 % expected in 2026

• The market stays selective: what makes the difference is proof (measurable results, scope, deliverables), not a keyword list

• Check in 30 seconds whether your resume is readable for the role you target with ReadyScore

Is the job market really recovering in 2026?

Short answer: yes, but moderately. After two difficult years, Apec expects executive hiring to move back above 300,000, without returning to the 2023 peak (330,400 hires).

In 2025, French companies hired around 294,500 executives, 3 % fewer than in 2024. For 2026, the Apec executive hiring forecast points to 305,800 hires, a 4 % increase driven mainly by high value added services (IT, engineering and R&D, consulting).

One caveat: more hiring does not mean easier hiring. Companies remain selective and look for candidates who can quickly demonstrate:

• operational skills they can use immediately
• a clearly identifiable area of expertise
• concrete, verifiable results
• command of the tools actually used in their sector
• behavioural skills that fit the role

So the right move is no longer to send more applications, but to target roles where your profile has a real edge. That is exactly what our 7 step job search method is built for.

The 3 functions hiring the most executives

According to Apec, three job families should account for more than half of executive hires in 2026.

1. IT and technology

IT remains one of the main drivers of executive hiring. Companies keep investing in digital transformation, cloud, cybersecurity, data and artificial intelligence.

Profiles in demand include developer, Data Engineer, Data Analyst, Analytics Engineer, cloud engineer, DevOps, cybersecurity engineer, IT architect, ERP consultant, SAP expert and AI engineer.

For these roles, listing technologies on your resume is no longer enough. A recruiter wants to understand what you can actually build.

Instead of writing: "Python, SQL, GCP, BigQuery, dbt".

Write: "Built a data pipeline on GCP and BigQuery that industrialised the dashboards used by the Finance teams". Technologies then become proof of a skill instead of a keyword list. Our developer resume guide breaks this down role by role.

2. Engineering, studies and R&D

Engineering and R&D remain among the most important functions of the executive market, with growth expected in 2026. This covers industry, energy, engineering, research, infrastructure, technological transformation and some science and health roles.

For these profiles, specialisation is an advantage. A candidate who combines technical expertise with precise domain knowledge is far more identifiable than a generalist.

3. Sales, business development and marketing

Companies always need people who can grow revenue. Business Developer, Account Executive, Key Account Manager, Sales Manager, sales engineer, Customer Success Manager, marketing manager, Growth Manager: these roles concentrate a large volume of executive hires.

Here, numbers rule. Compare "Business development with large accounts" with "Built a portfolio of 35 B2B accounts and generated €420,000 of sales pipeline in 12 months". The second version lets a recruiter assess your impact immediately.

What about graduates and junior profiles?

Short answer: the market is tighter for junior profiles, but they still represent a large share of hires.

According to Apec forecasts, around 137,600 hires should concern executives with less than six years of experience in 2026, close to 45 % of planned hires. Competition on these roles remains strong.

For a junior, the goal is to shorten the distance between your profile and the target job. Internships, apprenticeships, personal projects, certifications and case studies all work as proof of experience.

Someone targeting a Data Analyst role can for instance show:

• a documented Power BI project
• a SQL analysis on a public dataset
• a dashboard with its design rationale
• a business case handled end to end
• an up to date GitHub portfolio
• a certification relevant to the role

You may not have five years of experience yet, but you can already show that you can do the work. The Workyp career tracks are designed to produce exactly this kind of proof, for instance the Data Analyst track.

Where are the opportunities in France?

Île-de-France remains by far the largest French executive market, with around 143,000 hires expected in 2026 and growth of 5 %. Technical skills are especially sought after there, notably in IT, engineering and R&D, and banking. Other regions show a comparable or stronger dynamic, such as Occitanie (+6 %) and Pays de la Loire (+5 %).

Hybrid work and distributed teams also make it possible to look beyond your immediate area. Your search is more effective when it combines five criteria instead of a single job title:

role + skills + location + remote + sector.

This approach beats a search based only on a job title, which varies widely from one company to the next. You can test it directly on the jobs published on Workyp.

How do you know if your profile matches the market?

Short answer: by analysing actual demand, not your own perception. Pick 20 to 30 job ads matching your target role, then list what comes up systematically.

• job titles actually used
• technical skills expected
• tools named explicitly
• level of experience required
• responsibilities and scope
• domain or sector knowledge
• certifications mentioned
• languages
• location and remote policy
• salary range when it is published

You then get a real picture of demand. Compare it with your profile: the gaps are your skill gap, meaning the skills or the proof you still need to become competitive.

It is also the best way to check whether your resume speaks the same language as the job ads. A resume to job match score turns that gap into something measurable.

The strategy that works on this market

Finding a job in 2026 is no longer only about having a good resume. You need a system: a clear professional profile, a resume that is ATS compatible, skills aligned with the roles you target, applications you actually track, interviews you prepare, and enough visibility for opportunities to reach you.

Three complementary building blocks:

• Organise the search: our complete 7 step method
• Price your profile: negotiate your salary or day rate at the right level
• Become findable: a public professional card indexed by search engines and recruiters

That is exactly the logic behind Workyp: your profile, your opportunities, your applications and your professional progress in one place.