Hauts-de-France ranks as France’s 2nd most attractive region

in 2017

5,761 jobs created or maintained in Hauts-de-France in 2017

It’s official: Hauts-de-France ranks second in France for investor attractiveness by number of jobs created or maintained during the year, outpaced only by Greater Paris. In 2017 the region was home to no fewer than 97 investment projects, which created or preserved a total of 5,761 jobs.

Manufacturing and services take the lead

Hauts-de-France also confirmed its No. 1 ranking by number of jobs in:

• manufacturing
  Production of motor vehicles, machinery and mechanical equipment together accounted for 14 projects with over 1,730 jobs, or more than 30% of total jobs recorded.

• services
  Tourism got a boost from expansion at Booking—the single largest source of new employment during the year, with 900 of the sector’s 1,007 new jobs.

Steady rise

The number of jobs created or maintained in 2017 was up nearly 26% over 2016. The total of 5,761 jobs came from 97 investment projects, for an average of 59 jobs per project, compared with a nationwide average of 26. In another key finding, the report notes that R&D jobs increased in 2017, boosting Hauts-de-France into fifth place nationwide. While the region has welcomed six new R&D projects a year since 2015, this year’s numbers show a striking increase in project size: for the first time, three projects represent more than 50 jobs, including IBM’s decision to create 100 jobs at its security services hub, and Dickson Constant’s announcement of 50 new jobs in product development.

Investors from all over the world

In 2017, businesses from the United States once again led the pack, accounting for 37% of jobs and nearly one-quarter of all investment projects. They were followed by investors from the UK, with 861 jobs, and Germany, with 15 projects and 718 jobs. Another standout statistic is the presence of Chinese investors, who were involved in three projects that created 465 new jobs outright, putting China fourth among the region’s foreign investors in 2017. Read the presse release