APEC (Association Pour l’Emploi des Cadres) the association for the employment of professionals, managers, and executives, reported a more negative outlook for recruitment at this level for July 2013. According to the APEC index, July 2013 dropped -12 points to 249, compared with 261 from July 2012; the index with base number of 100 launched in January 2004.

There were nearly 56,500 jobs published by APEC in July 2013, an increase of +3% compared with July 2012. Of the jobs advertised by APEC, 29% were from recruitment agencies and 43% from the client company.

IT jobs accounted for 26% of all job posts in July 2013, on par with July 2012; however, reflecting a negative growth rate for the first time since May 2010. IT management and website designers reported growth of +5% and +1%, respectively. The biggest decline was for IT Directors, falling -13% year-on-year.

Education and research & development account for 15% of all job advertisements and reported a drop of -1% year-on-year. The production industry, accounting for 8% of all advertised jobs, reported growth of +5% in July 2013 compared with July 2012; the growth was driven by a strong demand for Production managers (+13%). Technical Services reported a drop of -7% in the number of jobs, equating to 10% of jobs advertised.     

Staffing Industry Analysts forecasts that France will continue to face a challenging recruitment environment in the coming six months. The French staffing market it expected to face single-digit decline in 2013.