While France recorded 64,000 additional job seekers in the first quarter of 2025, the Rhône department is showing its strength. Just a few weeks after Lyon was voted the third worst city in France to start a career, the Rhône department is turning things around. With 7.79 job seekers per permanent contract available, Rhône tops the list of departments where finding a permanent job is most promising. Specifically, in April 2025, there were 201,660 job seekers for 25,877 permanent contracts available. That’s a particularly favorable ratio, especially when compared to its neighbor, Loire, where the competition is more than twice as fierce.
A diversified economy boosting employment
The reason Rhône shows such great results is due to a strong and diverse economy.
The Rhône, supported by Lyon and its metropolitan area. Industries, services, health, hospitality, and new technologies: these are all sectors that create a favorable environment for sustainable employment. This economic dynamism attracts as much as it stabilizes, reinforcing the status of Rhône as a driving force of employment in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.Behind the Rhône, the Manche (7.90 job seekers per offer), Loire-Atlantique (8.08), and Haute-Savoie (8.39) complete the podium of regions where the search for permanent contracts remains accessible. These departments rely on balanced local economies, often marked by agriculture, tourism, or industry, which ensure a relative stability in the job market.
A strong contrast with departments in difficulty
Conversely, some regions struggle to offer permanent contract opportunities. The Pyrénées-Orientales.display a staggering ratio of 38.73 job seekers per job offer, followed by Seine-Saint-Denis (32.25) and Pas-de-Calais (28.07). In these departments, the seasonality of jobs, population density, and deindustrialization create enormous pressure on stable positions.
This study reveals striking differences across French regions. Rhône, with Lyon as its driving force, illustrates the strength of attractive and diversified territories that can offer a significant number of permanent contracts. However, it also highlights the fragility of other areas where precariousness and competition prevail, reminding us of the importance of adapting public policies to local realities.