They testify
- Emmanuelle Leroyattractiveness and employment director at the Urban Community of Dunkirk (CUD).
- Diane MartelHRD of Flocryl
- Marie Claude Gabrieledirector of the recruitment firm Keezi Solutions
- Caroline VannierDirector Hauts-de-France at LHH Recruitment Solutions
27,000 job creations in Dunkirk by 2040
Last May, the President of the Republic himself made the trip to announce with great fanfare the future installation of a new giga-factory of electric batteries in Dunkirk.
For several months, this territory of the Côte d’Opale seems to have become the place to be for French and foreign investors. At the beginning of the year, Verkormanufacturer of electric batteries, confirmed its forthcoming establishment in the Dunkirk basin and the creation of 1,200 jobs by 2025. A little earlier, Clarebout Potatoes signed for a new fries production site (320 jobs).
The key to all these projects is the creation of 16,000 jobs by 2030, we were told! A godsend for this industrially devastated northern region due to its steel past and its slow reconversion.
In reality, the forecasts are much more optimistic.
By 2040, 27,000 job creations are expected. The share of executives will be around 20%.
Emmanuelle Leroy, attractiveness and employment director at the Urban Community of Dunkirk (CUD).
Vacancies in large and small companies
Over the next 20 years, Dunkirk is therefore preparing to host 41 major investment projects driven by technological breakthroughs.
Bye bye blast furnaces for Arcelorplace at a natural gas production plant. EDF will install two new EPRs there. No less than 2 giga factory of new generation electric batteries driven by Verkor (1200 job creations) and Taiwanese Prologium Technology (2,000 to 3,000 job creations) will also drop anchor in Dunkirk and generate thousands of jobs. The specialist in the production of polymers for water treatment, Flocrylis already in the process of building up a pool of candidates in order to be able to hire 40 people every 2 years for 30 years.
Diane Martel
“Eventually, we will have 1,000 employees, 8% of whom are executives”, counts Diane Martel, HR Director of Flocryl, who joined the group at the end of 2021. Local SMEs and SMIs are not left out and are also seeking to staff their teams in order to be able to respond to the local command. In short, the Dunkirk job market is picking up!
Technical positions galore
Future industrial establishments will obviously require the hiring of technical profiles: engineers, production managers, maintenance managers, logistics managers, etc. Positions will also be created in support functions. Not to mention all the indirect jobs generated by its new locations. And this, among the subcontractors of these industries but also in the everyday economy (construction, logistics, food, leisure, cleaning, etc.).
Local candidates but also from other regions
In order to best fill these jobs, employers obviously hunt in northern lands.
“Companies are looking for technical experts. However, locally, the pool of candidates is not sufficient. The training offer is being overhauled in the region in order to train young people in these buoyant professions”, observes Emmanuelle Leroy.
“Despite universities in Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne-sur-Mer, young graduates go to work in Lille, Amiens or even Paris”, adds Marie-Claude Gabriele, director of the recruitment firm Keezi Solutions.
Good news for applicants from other regions. In particular, those with past ties to the Dunkirk region and who would like to return to their native land.
Caroline Vannier
“Since the covid, even if the region is less attractive than Nantes for example, many candidates are happy to leave the big cities. And are ready to “expatriate” elsewhere in France for a better work-life balance,” notes Caroline Vannier, Hauts-de-France director at LHH Recruitment Solutions.
To meet the expectations of local employers, candidates must be ready to settle locally. “These are industrial jobs requiring an increased presence on site. And even if the position could be teleworked for part of the week, employers in the region are not yet very open to this mode of organization. SO not really fans of commuter profiles who would come to work for 3 days in Dunkirk and the rest of the time working remotely from another region observes another labor market specialist in Dunkirk. You have been warned.
A territory that wants to become attractive for new Dunkirks
To attract candidates from elsewhere, the Dunkirk metropolis is multiplying initiatives. In particular, by organizing “Welcome pack” weekends for those who still hesitate to take the plunge to reach the Dunkirk basin. During this short immersion, the CUD introduces them to the territory, the economic fabric (visiting clubs, meetings with employers, etc.) and of course the quality of life (sea, open spaces, proximity to Belgium, nature, etc.).
“We want to attract people who have an interest in the transition economy. With manufacturers, we are thinking together about rethinking ways of living and working. For example, on the creation of housing near employment areas in villages. In this way, we are revitalizing the territory and limiting CO2 emissions”, illustrates Emmanuelle Leroy. So much for the postcard.
On the ground, the reality is a little less rosy. “The attractiveness of the territory still needs to be worked on. We need complete support for new arrivals in terms of housing, education and also for the second job of the spouse”, emphasizes Marie-Claude Gabriele (Keezi Solutions). And Caroline Vannier (LHH Recruitment Solutions) notes that “support for the spouse’s return to work is rarely part of the package offered to the candidate. It is often us, the firm, who come to their aid”.
Lower salaries but also a lower cost of living
On the salary side, there is also a battle compared to practices in the rest of the territory. And especially compared to Paris.
In Dunkirk, “the average net hourly salary of executives, higher intellectual professions and salaried business leaders amounts to €26.55 in 2020 compared to €28.23 in France over the same period”, specifies the CUD. . So lower by more than 10%.
“On scarce profiles, companies are able to increase their level of remuneration to attract the best”, nevertheless notes Caroline Vannier.
This escalation mainly concerns large structures that add related benefits to salaries.
Packages that SMEs / SMIs or even local VSEs will not be able to honor. There is therefore a risk of sucking up local talent by these large companies. Candidates returning to the Dunkirk region could then replace those leaving in smaller companies
Marie-Claude Gabriele, director of the recruitment firm Keezi Solutions
Aware of the human resource management practices of groups that challenge local businesses, the CUD and the local economic fabric are working together to make SMEs/SMIs more attractive.
“The increase in salaries, career development, the 4-day week are all topics under discussion”, unfolds Emmanuelle Leroy. While waiting for concrete decisions, she prefers to insist on cheaper life in Dunkirk and ecological concerns. “We are multiplying incentive programs to green consumption. With, for example, a system of assistance for the renovation of housing, for energy diagnostics. Buses are free. We have many resource centres, a solid gift economy…”, she illustrates. To convince an “external” candidate to join the region, it will probably take more. For example, real estate prices much lower than in Paris. Ideal for those who dream of a house by the sea!