Business Services: The B2B Revolution

Business services—everything from accounting to facilities management—employ 3.5 million people and demonstrate service economy sophistication. This sector enables other businesses to focus on core competencies while accessing specialized expertise.

Professional Services Prowess

French professional services firms compete globally:

Engineering Consultancies: Companies like Artelia and Egis export French engineering expertise, particularly in transport infrastructure and water management.

Business Consulting: While American firms dominate strategy consulting, French consultancies like Roland Berger maintain strong positions in certain sectors.

Accounting and Audit: Mazars, originating in France, built a significant international presence as alternative to Big Four dominance.

The Outsourcing Economy

Companies increasingly outsource non-core functions:

Facilities Management: Sodexo, originating from catering, became global leader in integrated facilities management, employing 420,000 worldwide.

Human Resources: Adecco (Swiss but with major French operations) and French companies like Synergie demonstrate temporary staffing's scale.

Business Process Outsourcing: Call centers, back-office operations, and shared services create employment while raising questions about job quality and career progression.

Aminata Sow manages a customer service center in Lille:

"We handle customer calls for multiple companies—telecoms, utilities, retailers. The job requires real skills—language abilities, problem-solving, emotional intelligence. But career paths are limited, turnover is high, and the work can be stressful. We're constantly measured on call times and customer satisfaction."

The Gig Economy Debate

Platform-mediated service work grows rapidly but controversially:

Delivery Services: Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and French competitor Stuart employ thousands of riders, mostly as independent contractors.

Professional Services: Malt connects freelance consultants and developers with companies, facilitating flexible work arrangements.

Home Services: Platforms like Helpling and Wecasa match cleaners with households, formalizing previously informal work.

These platforms raise fundamental questions: - Employment status and social protection for gig workers - Algorithmic management and worker autonomy - Tax collection and regulatory compliance - Market concentration and platform power

Recent French legislation attempts to balance flexibility with protection, requiring platforms to provide certain benefits while maintaining contractor status. The debate continues as traditional employment models evolve.