Employment and remuneration in the digital sector: key trends for 2024
The digital sector is going through a period of turbulence. In an uncertain economic climate, recruitment is slowing down and companies are becoming more cautious. Against this backdrop, Numeum presents the latest edition of its HR-Remuneration Observatory for the year 2024. This exclusive and unique study for the digital sector deciphers employment and remuneration trends based on 2024 data rectified by quadrat-études.
The digital sector is going through a period of turbulence. In an uncertain economic climate, recruitment is slowing down and companies are becoming more cautious. Against this backdrop, Numeum presents the latest edition of its HR-Remuneration Observatory for the year 2024. This exclusive and unique study for the digital sector deciphers employment and remuneration trends based on 2024 data rectified by quadrat-études.
Numeum publishes employment and remuneration trends for digital companies. The new barometer, drawn up for the year 2024 by the quadrat-studies firm, provides a comprehensive overview of the dynamics at work in the sector. The study is based on a sample of 70,000 employees of Numeum member companies, and the responses are rectified to obtain data that is representative of the digital sector.
Recruitment down, turnover at an all-time low
In one year, the number of new hires in the digital sector fell by 38%. Companies recruited 83,800 people in 2023, compared with just 51,800 in 2024. Departures are also down (54,800 versus 67,400 last year), a sign that employees prefer to stay in their jobs in uncertain times. As a result, turnover is down to 16% from 22% in 2023, a historically low level.
Not all sectors are equally affected. Software publishers are holding up better, with a slight increase in headcount, while large ESNs and technology consultancies are seeing a net drop in recruitment.
Who are the new entrants?
The vast majority of new entrants to digital companies are recruited on permanent contracts (83%). These entrants are generally young (average age 32.6) and have executive status. As a general rule, the workforce is highly qualified, and the digital sector offers particularly stable employment conditions. The barometer, published by Numeum and quadrat-études, shows that 95% of employees have permanent contracts, while work-study contracts continue to grow, accounting for 4.3% of the workforce, compared with 4.1% in 2023.
The most sought-after professions remain those of developer, technical consultant, designer, technical expert and systems and networks consultant.
Attractive salaries despite the economic slowdown
Overall, the salaries offered by digital companies remain attractive. The average base salary is €4,057 gross for a full-time employee on a permanent contract. This represents a total gross annual compensation of €56,672. Also, more than half of all digital employees earn €3,728 per month.
Another relatively positive parameter is that, although salary increases are down in 2024 compared to 2023, they remain positive. 64% of employees received an increase, compared with 72% between 2022 and 2023.
Finally, 9 out of 10 employees received at least one bonus during the year. These bonuses and supplements represent a total of 11.7% of total annual remuneration. Other elements that can be added to salary include variable pay (6% of total compensation).
Feminization and equal pay: many efforts to be supported
In the digital sector, 29% of jobs are held by women (26% in the core business). This is relatively low compared to other sectors such as engineering (33%). We are therefore witnessing a certain stagnation. This discrepancy partly reflects the low proportion of female graduates in certain technical specialties. The study points out that“the distribution of women and men remains linked to training trajectories, orientation stereotypes and the career prospects offered by companies“.
The proportion of women is 67% in cross-functional positions, 41% in service offering, 37% in business development and 32% in design.
In terms of equal pay, the average monthly salary for men is €4,141, compared with €3,839 for women. This gap is mainly due to the nature of the jobs held. This difference is largely due to the under-representation of women in governance, management and executive positions, and their over-representation in the lowest-paid administrative functions.
The report also notes that inequalities between men and women remain for equivalent positions. With comparable characteristics (age, seniority, classification, etc.), the difference represents 2.4% of the average basic monthly salary, or around €98 per month. This differential has remained stable since last year, but bears witness to persistent disparities within the same job categories.
