The Taf salons open in Montpellier, a showcase of the sectors recruiting today… and tomorrow

L'an dernier, plus de 65 000 visiteurs sont venus chercher un emploi ou se renseigner sur l'un des salons Taf. Région Occitanie/L. B. – laurent_BOUTONNET

The unemployment rate in Occitanie (8.8%) is higher than the national average (7.2%). However, the region remains relatively dynamic in terms of employment, with many sectors recruiting. The Taf (Work, Future, Training) fairs, which open this week in Montpellier, Albi and Alès, at the initiative of the regional council and its institutional partners, are an opportunity to put a spotlight on these… as well as on the sectors of the future.

Du "taf", in the region, there are some, even if the unemployment rate in Occitanie, which stood at 8.8% at the end of 2023 – and up to 10.2% in Hérault and Gard – is one of the most important in the country. The series of 19 Taf exhibitions, an acronym for "Travail Avenir Formation", which opens this Wednesday, March 6 in Montpellier, is an illustration of this.

For two days, the Pérols exhibition center brings together 486 companies offering 1,220 positions in very different sectors. Each stop in the region will allow visitors to meet potential employers in their region. "This is an important meeting for France Travail, particularly in Montpellier where 120 agents have been mobilized since November to raise awareness among businesses but also prepare nearly 4,000 applicants employment through workshops, summarizes Laurence Ingargiola, regional communications manager at France Travail (formerly Pôle Emploi). "Our objective is obviously to highlight the professions that are recruiting today, but also to reflect on those of tomorrow through conferences, demonstrations… &quot ;, completes Marie-Thérèse Mercier, elected to the regional council which has supported these Taf salons for 17 years.

Commerce, catering, personal services…

The present, there is not too much surprise since it is linked to "the economic structuring of the territory", it is first of all four particularly dynamic sectors: "commerce and mass distribution ; the hotel and catering industry; health, social action and personal services; transport and logistics", summarizes Laurence Ingargiola. Very classic, but which is always recruiting, sometimes even without any particular qualifications required.

Nineteen meetings in the region

If the first Taf show took place à Lourdes in January, eighteen will follow throughout the Occitanie region, from March to October. May, to discover job and training offers in each territory. On the east side, they are organized at the same time. Montpellier (Wednesday March 6 and Thursday March 7), Alès (Thursday March 7), Mende (Thursday March 14), Nîmes (Tuesday March 19), Millau (Wednesday March 27), Perpignan (Wednesday March 27 March), Carcassonne (Thursday April 4), Rodez (Thursday April 4) and Béziers (Thursday April 25).

Another classic, on the shores of the Mediterranean, the maritime professions, for which the institutions organizing the show are planning, in addition to the exhibitors, a conference. "Around fishing of course, but also logistics, agri-food, boating… ", summarizes Marie- Therese Mercier. Still significant potential.

Needs in digital technology

But there are also sectors where the needs are becoming more and more significant, like digital technology. Across the region, it employs 110,000 people – as much as aeronautics – and is expected to hire another 10,000 employees in 2024, particularly in software publishing, the cloud, digital transformation, big data or cybersecurity. Provided you find staff. "We are experiencing a skills shortage, with nearly 2,000 positions unfilled in 2023", recently analyzed Anne Destouches, regional delegate of Numeum Occitanie, a digital union which brings together 400 members in the region. Salaries, however, amount on average to 45,000 € per year. Spoom, Septeo, Geho, Fortil, Reel It and Synanto, among others, are among the companies present at the Taf show to find their new collaborators.

Labor shortages

Another sector which suffers from recruiting difficulties, that of construction and industry. However, there are interesting career prospects in leading companies in their field of activity. For example, among those present at Taf, Atole in Castries, specialized in metallurgy which once created the Louvre staircase, among other references, but whose development projects " are hampered by lack of labor", assures its general director Christel Audibert. In Baillargues, Microphyt, which develops and markets bioactive ingredients from microalgae, is preparing to build the world's first biorefinery with many direct jobs at stake.

This nugget of the Montpellier economy, which has carried out various fundraising since its creation in 2007, is part of the Med Vallée environment, supported by the Metropolis, to create on the territory a center of global excellence in health, environment and food. This will be discussed at the Taf show, since the event is also intended to be an open door to professions whose labor needs will explode in the coming years in the region.

ICC, robotics, hydrogen, perspectives…

This is almost already a reality in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) sector, "with professions that make you dream around video games or cinema", lists Marie-Thérèse Mercier. But at the Cité de l’Economie et des Métiers de Demain, a place of foresight and experimentation created by the Occitanie Region, we also highlight robotics in the building sector or even the construction industry. rsquo;hydrogen, a fuel for tomorrow’s jobs."The public will be able to discover green hydrogen, from its production to its use, as well as its uses and prospects in the region. 84 professions have been identified, from secondary level to bac + 5, representing a potential of 100,000 jobs nationally by 2030 compared to 2000 today. Du "taf" in perspective.

Around the living room

Professional demonstrations

At each Taf show, visitors will be able to attend demonstrations of different professions, to allow them to discover new sectors of activity, often specific to their territory. Thus, in Montpellier, we will be able – among other things – to witness the creation of a cinema set, take an interest in the repair of bicycles and scooters, understand the uses of virtual helmets or digital models or even learn ;rsquo;introduce tasting thanks to the play of aromas and flavors. In Alès, on Thursday, there will be the discovery of careers in nuclear power, railways, culinary arts or those related to pets.

Conferences

Several conferences will also be offered, at each of the stages “Taf”. In Montpellier, this will make it possible, for example, to obtain help with retraining, creation business, international mobility or the digitalization of many professions.

And also…

Many partners are present at the Taf show to allow young people, job seekers and employees undergoing retraining to discover, in addition to job offers, the different employment possibilities ;rsquo;orientation, as well as assistance and training to access it. "Everything is done to support the journey of each and everyone, in a period of increasing unemployment and of recruitment tensions", summarizes Marie-Thérèse Mercier. Complete program to see on www.laregion.fr/TAF

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