Despite the scarcity of financing and a chaotic economic climate, the ecosystem continues to hire. In the Numeum-Motherbase barometer sample, employment rose by 4.6% in six months, a slightly higher rate than in the first half of 2024 (+4%). More than 16,000 jobs were created between January and June.
IT Services, GreenTech and Manufacturing on the podium
Digital startups (IT Services) are the most dynamic on the employment front, ahead of those serving the ecological transition (Greentech) and industry (Manufacturing). These 3 sectors account for almost 50% of new jobs created since the start of the year.
SaaS and AI are the jobs that are hiring the most
By type of offering, SaaS solutions account for the most job creations, ahead ofartificial intelligence tools.
” Sturdiness that defies the odds “.
“Against a less favorable economic and financing backdrop, French Tech is once again proving its robustness and beating the odds in the first six months of the year, with job creation growth higher than in the first half of 2024. As the past has shown, the second half of the year can be less dynamic than the first. Let’s congratulate ourselves on this trend, without projecting these results into the second half of the year. “explains Guillaume Buffet, President of Numeum’s startup support program.
Creations -43%, deletions -33%: a market in balance
Since January, startups have created fewer jobs (-43%), but have also shed considerably fewer (-33%). The result is a slight 4.6% increase in headcount. 35% of startups are opting for the status quo and maintaining their teams, a sign of prudence rather than retrenchment.
Île-de-France region accounts for nearly two-thirds of new jobs, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes confirms its dynamism
All regions are in the green. Île-de-France accounted for almost two-thirds of new business start-ups, confirming its role as a magnet for talent. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes remains the other locomotive, proving that innovation and employment can also be nurtured far from Paris.
Follow all the figures, graphs and regional focus on barometrestartups.fr.
Methodology
* The French startup employment barometer is based on AI analysis of a sample of 14,455 French startups in June 2025. Each month, the jobs created and eliminated by each startup in the sample are counted (as declared by employees on professional social networks). Each startup is classified by AI, according to its field of activity, the technologies it masters and its location. This barometer is based on a constant sample. It therefore takes no account of startup creations or closures over a calendar year. The data presented is limited to the sample, but can be extrapolated to all French startups. They concern direct employment only. According to Motherbase, a startup cannot have more than 850 employees and must have been created after 2008.
