Software Developer Hiring Trends in Nantes, France

This report was last updated on Sep 7, 2025

Bence Gedai

Founder

I analyze live hiring data and tech job trends across Europe to give CTOs and Product Leaders a strategic edge. By tracking tens of thousands of open roles each week, I uncover which skills, roles, and locations are in highest demand — potential competitors, typical time to hire, talent pool sizes, and more to help you prioritize hiring, benchmark and stay competitive in a fast-moving market.

Key learnings from this report

The software engineers job market trends in France, particularly in Nantes, show a dynamic landscape with a current count of 18.75 average weekly job openings over the last 12 weeks, emphasizing ongoing demand amidst job closures, which reached a peak of 29 in week 35.
With 44% of job listings for mid-senior level roles and a significant focus on technologies such as Java and Python, hiring managers in Nantes should align their recruitment strategies to attract the required talent proficient in these in-demand technologies.
The city of Nantes represents a growing opportunity, capturing 6% of the national software engineering job market, though Paris remains the leading hub with 45%. This suggests that recruitment efforts may benefit from a local approach to talent attraction in Nantes.
Currently, the median time to hire for software engineers in France is 33 days, with a critical emphasis on rapid hiring processes, as organizations experience significant drops in candidate onboarding after 40 days, emphasizing the need for agility in recruitment.
Top companies actively hiring software engineers in the region include Canonical, Colisée France, and Fédération Française de Natation, indicating a diverse array of industries necessitating software development expertise, reinforcing the competitive nature of hiring in Nantes.

Number of roles opened and closed for Software Engineers in Nantes in the last 3 months

In recent weeks, France Nantes has shown a dynamic landscape in the software engineering job market. The weekly count of new software developer roles peaked at 27 in week 30, while the average weekly openings over the past 12 weeks reached 18.75. However, this growth is accompanied by significant closures; 29 jobs were closed in week 35, highlighting a potential skill mismatch or high turnover in the region. Comparatively, other roles in the tech sector also displayed volatility, yet the demand for software engineers remains robust, indicating strong recruitment strategies are essential for CTOs and engineering managers looking to secure top talent in France Nantes's competitive tech sector.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in France:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	270
Colisée France	France	Hospital & Health Care	1989	124
Fédération Française de Natation	France	Sports	null	102
TieTalent	Switzerland	Information Technology & Services	2017	92
Extia	France	Information Technology & Services	2007	70
Davidson consulting	France	Management Consulting	2005	60
Korian	France	Hospital & Health Care	2003	47
Scaleway	France	Information Technology & Services	1999	45
Kicklox	France	Information Technology & Services	2015	41
L'Usine Nouvelle	France	Publishing	1891	41

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Talent pool vs job openings for Software Engineers in France

How competitive it is to hire Software Engineers in France

The software engineers job market trends in France, particularly in Nantes, reflect a competitive landscape when compared to other European countries. With a count of job openings that indicates a strained talent pool, the ratio of available talent to job listings suggests hiring in France is more challenging than in countries such as Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, where job openings are met with a healthier talent supply. This discrepancy highlights the necessity for tailored recruitment strategies for CTOs within Nantes's tech sector to successfully navigate the tight labor market. As the future demand for software engineers increases, understanding these hiring trends will be crucial for organizations seeking to optimize their workforce planning.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Nantes

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in Nantes

In the current software engineering job market in France Nantes, the seniority distribution reveals a clear trend among available positions. Mid-Senior level roles account for 44% of job listings, while Entry level positions constitute 28%, and Associate roles make up 21%. This distribution highlights the significant demand for experienced talent, guiding hiring managers in recruitment strategies tailored for France Nantes's tech sector.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in France

In the evolving landscape of the software engineers job market trends in France, particularly in Nantes, full-time positions dominate, comprising 95% of the employment type distribution. Internships and contract roles represent a smaller segment of the market, accounting for 5% and 5%, respectively. This highlights the strong preference for stable, long-term employment opportunities among software developers, which hiring managers should consider when formulating recruitment strategies for CTOs in France Nantes's tech sector.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in France

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The data on time to hire for software roles in France highlights a significant period for recruitment strategies. A substantial segment of candidates, 2,974 in total, were hired within a 30-day timeframe, indicating a high demand for swift hiring processes. Additionally, 1,439 candidates were successfully onboarded within 15 days, reflecting the urgency within the software job market in France. However, as the time to hire extends beyond this period, a marked drop in the number of hires is observable, particularly after 40 days, where only 1,075 candidates were secured. This distribution underscores the necessity for hiring managers and CTOs to be agile and responsive in their recruitment approaches to attract and secure top talent within the competitive tech sector in France, particularly in regions like Nantes.

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Most popular cities in France to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in France to hire Software Engineers

In the analysis of the Software Engineers job market trends in France, the highest concentration of job openings is observed in Paris, representing 45% of the total job listings. Following Paris, Nice accounts for 18% of the openings, while Lyon comprises 11%. Nantes, with 6% of the job market, indicates a burgeoning opportunity for Software Engineers in this city, as illustrated in the accompanying chart.

Most sought after technologies in Nantes for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

In the competitive software job market in France Nantes, several technologies have emerged as the most frequently sought after by employers. Notably, Java leads with a usage frequency of 10,875, indicating a strong demand for Java developers. Following closely is Python, which appears with a frequency of 10,977, highlighting its popularity among software engineers. JavaScript and React are also prominent, with frequencies of 8,244 and 6,854 respectively, underscoring their critical role in web development. Additionally, .NET, C#, and Node.js are frequently utilized, rounding out the key technologies that engineers should be proficient in. These insights are visualized in the accompanying chart for a comprehensive overview.

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