{"id":27720,"date":"2025-02-23T17:38:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T16:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lexcase-immigration.com\/?p=27720"},"modified":"2025-02-23T17:46:24","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T16:46:24","slug":"france-updates-list-of-professions-en-tension-to-address-labor-shortages-and-immigration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lexcase-immigration.com\/en\/france-updates-list-of-professions-en-tension-to-address-labor-shortages-and-immigration\/","title":{"rendered":"France Updates List of \u201cProfessions en Tension\u201d to Address Labor Shortages and Immigration"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row pix_particles_check=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]The French government has updated its list of \u201cprofessions en tension\u201d (professions experiencing labor shortages) to include dozens of jobs in sectors like agriculture, home care, and the restaurant industry. The updated list reflects the current labor market needs, taking into account regional variations. For example, only the Normandy region is seeking surveyors, while seven regions are looking for butchers. Some professions, such as farmworkers, home care aides, kitchen assistants, cooks, housekeepers, and market gardeners, are in demand across the entire country. The three regions with the highest number of professions in tension are Ile-de-France (41 professions), Provence-Alpes-C\u00f4te d’Azur (39), and Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes (37 professions).\r\n\r\nThe French government list of “professions en tension\u201d focuses on “professions experiencing labor shortages.” This list serves as a critical reference for authorities to grant residency permits to undocumented workers, particularly those in high-demand sectors like agriculture, home care, and the restaurant industry. The updated list was shared with social partners on February 21, 2025, before its official publication.\r\n\r\nThe previous version of this list dates back to 2021 and was based on 2008 data, highlighting a significant gap in addressing current labor market needs. The updated list reflects the current labor market needs, taking into account regional variations. For example, only the Normandy region is seeking surveyors, while seven regions are looking for butchers.\r\n\r\nSome professions, such as farmworkers, home care aides, kitchen assistants, cooks, housekeepers, and market gardeners, are in demand across the entire country. The three regions with the highest number of professions in tension are Ile-de-France (41 professions), Provence-Alpes-C\u00f4te d’Azur (39), and Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes (37 professions).\r\n\r\nThis initiative is a result of extensive consultations with various professional federations and government agencies, ensuring that the list accurately reflects the needs of the labor market and helps to address the shortage of workers in key sectors. The updated list is expected to make it easier for undocumented workers in these professions to obtain residency permits. This will help to fill labor shortages and boost the French economy.\r\n\r\nThe list was compiled with the involvement of the Ministry of the Interior, regions, and social partners. It was then sent to social partners for a final national consultation before its official publication in the Journal Officiel.\r\n\r\nThe law “immigration,” enacted in January 2024, stipulates that undocumented workers employed in professions en tension could apply for regularization with the prefect. In January 2025, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau issued a new directive to prefects, emphasizing that exceptional regularizations through work should be refocused on professions en tension.\r\n\r\nThe main professional organization in the hospitality and restaurant industry, UMIH, has highlighted the difficulties the sector faces in recruiting. They have expressed their desire that the new circular does not tighten the conditions for regularization and access to employment for foreign nationals already present on French soil and willing to work in these professions.\r\n\r\nThe updated list is expected to be published soon, replacing the order of April 1, 2021. It is planned that the lists of professions en tension will be revised annually. The new regulation will intervene in a legal context modified by the immigration law of January 2024, since for professions en tension, the worker will now be exempted from obtaining the agreement of his employer to make his request.\r\n\r\nTo be eligible for regularization under this scheme, undocumented workers need to meet specific conditions: they must have resided in France for at least three (3) years and possess a minimum of twelve months of salaried professional experience in one of the listed professions en tension within the last 24 months. This experience can be consecutive or non-consecutive. Successful applicants will be granted a one-year residence permit as a “temporary worker” or “employee.”\r\n\r\nHowever, it’s important to note that meeting these criteria doesn’t guarantee automatic regularization. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has emphasized the “exceptional nature” of such regularizations, stating that there is “no automatic right nor any enforceable right.”\r\n\r\nThis initiative is a crucial step towards addressing the labor shortages in France while also providing a pathway for undocumented workers to gain legal status. The updated list of professions en tension is expected to have a positive impact on the French economy and society.\r\n\r\nPreliminary list as of date of publication :\r\n\r\nHere is a list of all the professions mentioned in the document as being “m\u00e9tiers en tension”:\r\n