Demand Tracker of IT projects for freelancers, France

Last update: 2023-11-27

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If you are new read this, otherwise go straight to the charts

Am I the only freelancer suffering from a decreasing demand?

Are you no longer receiving propositions as frequently as before? Is the client’s sole focus securing the lowest rate possible? Are projects now shorter in duration? And what about remote job offers? Have they decreased even more compared to pre-pandemic times?

Can we blame intermediaries for this situation? Is the market overcrowded with individuals leaving their jobs and taking advantage of “chômage”?

The goal of this page is to provide you with an overview of the demand for IT freelancers in France. It may not fully reflect the market, as it is based on the information we could gather from various sources. Now, let’s examine the extent of the damage, who is affected, and what the current demand looks like.

Perimeter

Date: From May 2023

Projects: 40k job offers for freelancers in IT / Tech / Data

Demand Dynamics

All Time High. Week of 27th November, had the highest volume of IT freelance offers since e started this tracker. I guess, these are either the last minute budgets to consume for 2023 or those preparing for 2024.

Demand Trajectory

Demand has seen fluctuations, yet the rates remain remarkably stable since our data tracking began. The average max rate increased by 8.3% and the average min rate slightly decreased (-1.2%). A simulation on the platform Portageo indicates that a daily rate of 500€ equates to a net monthly salary of approximately 4,600€.

Rate Evolution

Experience Metrics

Aggregate Demand by Experience

Half of the demand targets senior professionals with 5-10 years of experience, underscoring that expertise is a key driver for clients looking for freelancers. Intermediate levels also hold a significant share, likely as clients seek cost-effective alternatives. Entry-level IT represent a minimal portion, while experts constitute less than 8%. This might indicate a limited demand for top-tier expertise or the possibility that clients use alternative channels to source them.

Experience-Based Demand

The 5-10 year experience bracket is still showing a consistent upward trajectory, at the expense of intermediate and experts. Demand for entry level freelancers has significantly increased during the last months.

Demand by Experience Over Time

Experience-Adjusted Rates

Rates plateau for those with less than 5 years of experience, followed by a subsequent rise. You get around 16€/day premiuum for every incremental year of experience.

Average Rates by Experience

Overall there’s a significant emphasis on data management and programming capabilities in the current freelance market landscape.

Rank Skill Percentage of jobs
1 Data 19 %
2 SQL 19 %
3 SAP 15 %
4 Java 16 %
5 Python 8 %

Geographic Distribution

The proportion of fully remote positions remains minimal, with no evident shift in client preferences on the matter. It did decrease since May going from 5% to 3%.

Remote Project Trends

Remote Work Rate Dynamics

Full remote roles now pay less, which seems more natural: clients are ready to pay a minimal premium to have you on si. Remote Work Rates

Remote Work by Experience

Senior professionals have most remote opportunities, while both entry-level and highly experienced professionals find limited full-remote positions.

Remote Opportunities by Experience

Sectoral Demand: SAP

SAP is the still the best market predictor you can get. SAP vs. General Demand

Upcoming Analyses

That concludes today’s insights. Future directions:

  • Weekly data refresh
  • Advanced NLP analysis on job titles and descriptions (a long-standing item on our agenda)

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