GLOSSARY
Staffing Firm / ESN (Entreprise de Services Numériques)
An ESN (IT staffing firm) is a French company specialized in IT services: it places consultants (employees or freelancers) at client sites for 3-month to 2-year missions.
IN DEPTH
An ESN (Entreprise de Services Numériques, formerly SSII) is a French company specialized in IT services on a body-leasing or project basis. It recruits salaried consultants (CDI, CDD) or collaborates with freelancers, then places them at client sites for targeted missions: development, data, DevOps, cybersecurity, architecture, consulting. In 2026, 48,118 ESN are active in France (source: SIRENE database, Cobalt 2026 study), 73% with <10 employees. The market represents 612,000 cumulative jobs. Average gross margin: 23% in 2026 (vs 28% in 2020), median EBITDA 6.5%. AI-first staffing firms reach 2.3x higher EBITDA than the median.
Frequently asked questions
48,118 active staffing firms in France in 2026 per Cobalt study (complete SIRENE database, 6 NAF codes). 73% have <10 employees, only 1% exceeds 250. Île-de-France concentrates 42% of companies and 55% of headcount.
No fundamental difference. ESN (Entreprise de Services Numériques) has been used since 2013 instead of SSII (Société de Services en Ingénierie Informatique). Change driven by Syntec Numérique to modernize the sector's image.
23% in 2026, down 5 points from 2020 (Cobalt study). Top 10% AI-first reaches 15.2% EBITDA (vs 6.5% sector median). Fragile staffing firms (<20% margin) face short-term consolidation risk.
Related terms
- Business Manager (BM)A Business Manager (BM) is a staffing firm salesperson responsible for a client and consultant portfolio. They sell services, manage missions and bench time.
- Bench (Intercontrat)The bench (intercontrat) is the period during which a staffing firm consultant is not placed on a client mission. They're paid but generate no revenue.
- Day Rate (TJM)TJM (Taux Journalier Moyen) is the price billed by a staffing firm or freelancer per day of service. In 2026, median IT consultant day rate in France: €580/day.
- Consultant TurnoverConsultant turnover measures the annual % of consultants leaving a staffing firm (voluntary + involuntary departures). France 2026 median: 18%. 15-50 consultant firms: 23%.
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