France: a haven for talent

France attracts foreign nationals

Nine students in 10 who come to France recommend the country as a study destination (Campus France survey, 2013). France is also the world’s leading destination for foreign tourists. (UNWTO, 2014)

France: a haven for university students

With more than 289,000 students enrolled in higher education, France is also the third leading host country in the world for foreign students after the United States and the United Kingdom. (Campus France, 2014)

France: a haven for researchers

France has a high proportion of R&D personnel: with 9.2 researchers per thousand labor force in 2011, France is ranked among the leading countries in the world. (OECD, Main Science and Technology Indicators, 2014) Twelve of the 55 Fields Medals (often described as the “Nobel Prize for Mathematics”) have been awarded to French mathematicians.

France: a productive economy

France is ranked sixth in the world for hourly labor productivity, ahead of Germany (7th) and the United Kingdom (13th). (The Conference Board, 2014)

Foreign executives praise France’s workforce

Eighty percent of foreign business executives surveyed believe that the education and training of France’s workforce make France attractive for foreign investment. (TNS-Sofres/IFA opinion poll, 2014)

France boasts highly qualified researchers

France is ranked third in the EU for the number of students in second-stage tertiary education leading to an advanced research qualification. (Eurostat, 2014)

Renowed business schools

Eighteen French establishments in the global rankings of the 70 best Management Master’s degree programs, including two of the top three: HEC and ESSEC. (Financial Times, 2014)

Paris is particularly attractive for recent graduates

In 2014, Paris once again was ranked first – for the third year running – in the annual rankings of the QS Best Student Cities (a comparison of 116 major cities rated by five criteria: university rankings, student diversity, quality of life, reputation among graduate employers, and affordability).

France’s excellence in R&D attracts foreign businesses

Foreign investment projects are growing rapidly in R&D, engineering and design, with 77 investment decisions recorded in 2013, versus 58 in 2012.
The number of projects in R&D alone rose by 13% to 51 investment decisions in 2013, compared with 45 in 2012, and 40 in 2011. R&D, engineering and design investments created over 1,900 jobs in 2013, or 7% of the all jobs created by foreign investment in France.

A magnet for talent

Streamlined immigration formalities for foreign talent, for example through the “Skills and Expertise” resident permit for non-EU nationals appointed chief executive of a subsidiary in France. The “Expatriate Employee” resident permit exists for intra-group job transfers, and the European Union Blue Card for highly qualified employees. Moreover, the “French Tech Ticket”, a “welcome pack” for foreign entrepreneurs founding their start-up in France (€30,000 grant, visa, single “Helpdesk” contact point, business set-up support, etc.), is due to open in 2015.

Source: Business France