In France, what positions offer the highest salaries? Official data and employment listings disclose top-paying careers.
In the land of idyllic views and Michelin-starred cuisine, the top-earning roles are highly sought after. France, the sixth-largest economy globally with a projected GDP of $3.21 trillion in 2025, attracts residents from all walks of life seeking quality employment opportunities. The zealous Job Hunter isn't discerning, whether they hail from France or immigrants arriving from both within and outside the European Union.
Curious about the wealthiest professions in France? Here's a breakdown of the best-paying jobs, enlightened by insights from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) and global hiring firm Indeed.
France's Lucrative Sectors Revealed
Five key sectors dominate the top 50 highest-paying jobs in France, according to INSEE data.
- *Aviation , brimming with specialized roles in civil aviation, reigns supreme with an average salary around €111,600.
- Corporate roles like managers and directors follow closely, pocketing approximately €92,000 annually.
- The healthcare sector, brimming with dental surgeons and non-hospital doctors, boasts average earnings of €84,600.
- Legal and finance sectors relish earnings surpassing €70,000.
With executives in financial markets earning €132,000 and administrative, financial, and commercial managers in large companies taking home €127,200, the prestigious managerial clan rejoices in annual salaries pushing up to €200,000!
Interestingly, civil aviation technical and commercial officers and executives, including airline pilots, manage to break through the €100,000 barrier, with average earnings of around €116,000. This totals only five jobs surpassing the €100,000 threshold.
Lawyers, while not quite making a six-figure income, still earn €99,600, while technical directors of large companies lag slightly behind at €98,400.
Dental surgeons and salaried non-hospital physicians rank among the top 10 highest-paying jobs, with salaries of €87,600 and €81,600, respectively.
Engineers in various roles, particularly those in management positions and the IT sector, aren't far behind, enjoying well-paying positions within the top 50 list.
That newspaper directors, press administrators, and publishing directors across literary, musical, audiovisual, and multimedia sectors remain well remunerated, comes as a pleasant surprise, ranking 22nd with an average annual net salary of €57,600. Besides lawyers, legal experts are also in the top 50 list, pocketing €51,600 annually.
These figures represent averages, not medians, meaning the range can be quite wide in some sectors, especially considering the role of experience.
Curious about the latest wage trends? Job postings on Indeed offer valuable insights, covering gross salaries before deductions.
Dentists top the list, boasting an impressive annual median salary of €95,000, followed closely by orthodontists snatching €78,750. In the tech sector, network architects snag €72,361, while medical agents in the healthcare field bring in €70,000. Several positions report identical median salaries of €60,000: engineering directors, real estate salespersons, operations directors, senior sales representatives, account executives, production directors, human resources directors, cloud architects, and loan broker advisors.
Let's explore emerging roles reshaping the French job market as Artificial Intelligence takes a firm grip on the industry. As we stride forward into the next 5-10 years, green energy, AI/GenAI, cybersecurity, and biotechnology are expected to create new top-earning job titles. Roles like AI ethicist, key sustainability roles, GenAI engineers, and climate data analysts are gaining traction, poised to enter the upper salary echelons as demand for highly specialized expertise in these areas grows.
Intriguingly, Pawel Adrjan, Director of Economic Research at Indeed, predicts that attending a top-ranked university can bolster job prospects and salary potential. However, recent trends observed on Indeed, both in the UK and France, suggest that formal education requirements are becoming less frequent in job postings, particularly in high-skill fields such as IT and data science, pointing to a shift towards skills-based hiring.
[1] https://www.indeed.co.uk/salaries
[2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104312/average-salary-france
[3] https://france-info.fr/decryptage/comparatif-les-salaires-en-france-unef-etudie-les-salaire-net-de-plus-de-135-000-salaries-salaries-france-defis-sociaux-differences-de-salaire-france-uneff-2023-syndicats-revenus
[4] https://www.kolumbus.fi/tyotiukkuu/02/03/2023/tyoton-alyma-koululoistojenkaan-kasvoessa-taloustemoksen-edaalle-eleisiin-siistiin-pannossa-636913
[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/gideonszubish/2021/05/12/how-much-do-investment-bankers-get-paid-in-europe/?sh=2956a34a2c6c
In France's lucrative sectors, the finance sector, along with legal professionals, reish earnings surpassing €70,000, making them highly competitive fields in the business world. Executives in financial markets, for instance, can earn up to €132,000 annually, while administrative, financial, and commercial managers in large companies take home €127,200.
