Startups and Employment in France: 2025 Review (Numeum)

Summary

• French startups grew employment by more than 6% in 2025, despite an autumn slowdown.p.2
• Net job creation in 2025 was comparable to 2024, at +6.1%.p.4
• The barometer analyses a sample of 8,889 French startups as of December 2025.p.3
• Results are extrapolated to the 18423 active startups detected by Motherbase in 2025.p.4
• Île-de-France accounts for 2/3 of startup job creation in 2025.p.7
• A startup is defined as having at most 850 employees and being created after 2008.p.3

Key insights

1. French startups grew employment by more than 6% in 2025, despite an autumn slowdown.p.2
2. Net job creation in 2025 was comparable to 2024 at +6.1%, despite the autumn slowdown.p.4
3. The 2025 balance is slightly up on 2024 but hides a contrasted year for startup employment.p.5
4. The second half of 2025 shows wide disparity between startups, with strong swings in both job creation and job destruction.p.6
5. Île-de-France accounts for 2/3 of startup job creation in 2025, while growth rates vary widely between regions.p.7
6. Greentech job dynamics have lost momentum since the start of 2025, while digital startups regain the leadership they held in 2022 and 2023.p.8
7. AI acceleration is visible in startup employment figures for 2025, and generative AI startups show a striking growth rate.p.9