Paris, like most major international cities, has a large population of foreign workers. The city draws people from the provinces as well as people of all walks of life from around the world. There are immigrants here from every continent in the world with large African and Asian populations. If you are able to work legally and speak French well, there are many opportunities for employment here. As with any other country, depending upon various factors (education, age, and sadly skin colour) your chances will either rise or fall. It is important to remember that, generally speaking, the French often put a high value on background and heritage.

If you’re willing to do manual labour for little pay there’s no shortage of work, but the higher you move up the ladder the more difficult finding work will be. France has the slowest growing ‘large EU’ economy. Considering that France is the sixth wealthiest nation in the world, unemployment is high at 8.7% and public debt is at 66% of the GDP. In the poor suburbs where unemployment hovers around 40% there has been a marked increase in tension. The recent riots have sparked a lot of political talk but not a lot of action. One thing is certain, with the conservative Nicolas Sarkozy as France’s new president it will become increasingly difficult to relocate to France, let alone find work here.

Because of the stagnating job market many of France’s young, skilled job force has been seeking employment in other countries and some estimates have 40,000 French citizens working in the Silicon Valley’s technology industry.

If you want to live and work in France it is important to consider that social charges and taxes are high. On the other hand, France has one of the finest healthcare systems in the world and the quality of life in Paris can be exceptional.