France is one of the largest and most complex economies in the EU. It is also one of the most active and developing economies for independents. An estimated 3. 2 million professionals are full- and part-time self-employed, or 10% of the EU’s 33 million self-employed.
The expansion of French independents partly reflects the continued expansion of France as a global economic force. France is the seventh largest and most productive economy. As in other regions of the world, economic activity and short-term investment are expected to continue. constrained by tight monetary conditions and uncertainty about inflation and recession potential.
However, while a slow recovery is expected for the economy as a whole, the independent CEOs we spoke to see a positive expansion for the independent revolution.
According to them, there are several catalysts. The first, of course, is a broader workforce concept needed during the pandemic. More and more corporations have learned that freelancers and other informal workers can supplement their workforce with high-quality experts. Remote working responses imposed on businesses during the pandemic have seen more businesses open of all sizes in France to consider new execution tactics or alternatives, and provide the generation infrastructure to make it scalable and cost-effective. For many professions, geography was no longer a barrier to growth. Finally, more and more professionals are “waking up” to new paints and career styles, imaginable through independent platforms or “skill clouds” of personal corporations. It is a new source of skill that provides a variety of benefits to businesses and SMEs.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Lnsee), France has around 3 million part-time or full-time self-employed or independent B2B entrepreneurs. Overall, 13% of the workforce was self-employed, more for men (15. 6%) than for women (9. 5%). According to Statistica, the average daily rate for technological freelancers exceeds 500 euros per day.
How do CEOs and thought leaders see France as the near-term future of self-employment?
How is the freelance revolution shaping up in France?What are your predictions for the freelance economy in France this year and next?Is there a “dark cloud” on the horizon that you?
For Jean de Rauglaudre, CEO of the Collective, the optimism comes from the fact that freelancers are a valid option for agencies.
“B2B installations grew in 2022 and are expected to grow further in 2023. Freelancers capture a small percentage of this market (~5%) and yet offer an option applicable to agencies and service companies. Some spaces will be more affected in the short term (e. g. branding, B2C market placement) and costs would possibly be called into question. But we maintain a very positive view of what is happening. The most difficult component of the market is “fundraising. “Valuations have been questioned, the budget is more resilient to risk. “
Reda Mahfoud, GM Malt France the contribution of the self-employed worker as a component of the agility of the company.
“Trends favor self-employment and definitely continue to drive this market. Self-employment is perceived as a solution to boost projects and increasingly seems like a solution to gain agility and competitiveness in dubious contexts. Few of our largest corporate clients have chosen to slow down. Reduce the use of freelancers in the last 12 months. This indicates that the freelance market will continue to grow. “
Charly Gaillard, CEO of Beager, points to the vital role of government in making it easier than delaying self-employment in France.
“More and more people are turning to freelancing. Whether seniors or students, we are seeing an increase in our French network with various profiles, namely in interim control, control of programs and assignments and virtual transformation where demand is highest. We expect this to continue as corporations seek out those experts. We also note that industries severely affected by COVID are recovering rapidly, such as leisure, tourism and transport. The only adjustments may come from the law, as the French government can simply adapt. Some of the many existing statutes, which is why we are very active in looking at how we can further improve the law to facilitate this social change.
For Marie-Alix Souriseau, co-founder of WHO, the flexibility of a combination is a vital merit in times of instability and uncertainty. Companies want to continue, but the freelancer network allows corporations to adjust their form more quickly and easily.
“Times of economic instability are a boost for the self-employed, and we arrive at 2023 with a lot of optimism: the self-employed market has reached true maturity in France (57% of French companies use freelancers) and is adapting more and more structured. For example, in the last 2 years, many giant corporations have asked us to respond to tenders/tenders. Freelancing has experienced exceptional expansion since 2020 and we see the existing macroeconomic slowdown as a real opportunity for freelancers.
Comments from WEEM co-founder Leslie Garçon reinforce that the more sensible skill you choose to be self-employed, the more demand will increase. In the future, the experience is more likely to be self-employed than as a full-time employee.
“We believe that the self-employment market in France will continue to grow and reach the more mature markets. Great teams have tried this new style and followed it. Large French corporations are massively entering the independent economy. Being independent and being part of a freelance work network like WEEM also attracts more and more talent with diverse reports and backgrounds in consulting or business. The agility of independent style responds to the lack of visibility of corporations, especially this year. Therefore, demand is expected to grow, with increased pressure on budgets and the quality of profile selection.
For Sam Durand, French director of the film about long-term work, its popularity through HR that self-employed workers are part of a global strategy.
“The freelancer ecosystem has become more powerful and offers a genuine added price to beginners. The number of freelancers in the French skills economy continues to grow. The HR network no longer views freelancers as cautiously as it did a few years ago. Freelancers are increasingly a component of the overall workforce strategy and are no longer considered a default option. More than a third of CAC40 corporations now use independent platforms.
Finally, Martin Videlaine, CEO of Bluebirds, points out that the expansion of freelancers will be volatile as demanding macroeconomic situations continue to shake the French economy.
“The economy of independents in France is expected to grow by 15% this year and next, indicating a continued upward trend. While France has been slow to embrace self-employment, there is a prospect of significant expansion as we see more consumers and customers in the U. S. The U. S. and Chinese events can have an effect on the sector. Despite those challenges, we remain optimistic about the long-term independent economy in France and its outlook for shaping the labor market.
Like the other countries that have been profiled in this series (Germany and the Netherlands already published, and Spain to come), the long term to be self-employed is strong and obvious. The short term is not so easy. But accepting as true with is not discouraged.
Long the revolution!