GLOSSARY
Offshore IT
Offshore IT refers to delocalization of IT services to lower-cost countries (India, Morocco, Portugal, Tunisia). Day rates 40-60% cheaper but limited fit on senior profiles.
IN DEPTH
Offshore IT (or offshoring) is the practice of executing IT services from countries with lower salary costs, typically India, Morocco, Portugal, Tunisia, Poland, Romania, Ukraine. Offshore day rates are 40-60% cheaper than French day rates on junior profiles (€220-340/day vs €420-580/day equivalent). In 2026, offshore captures 15-20% of French junior missions per Cobalt study, with expected progression to 26% by 2030. Limitations: time zones (communication asymmetry), language barrier for French clients, GDPR confidentiality, and less consistent quality on senior profiles. French staffing firms respond with: upscaling (expertise, architecture, transformation), managed hybrid onshore/offshore mode, and AI-first platforms to automate 30% of junior tasks previously offshored.
Frequently asked questions
By volume: Morocco (linguistic proximity), Tunisia, Portugal, Romania, India (especially custom dev), Ukraine/Poland. Morocco and Tunisia dominate the French market thanks to French-speaking and aligned time zones.
40-60% cheaper offshore on junior profiles (India: €220-280/day vs €420-480 FR). Gap reduced to 20-30% on senior profiles (cultural fit and communication more demanding). Offshore profitable only on missions >6 months and standardized tasks.
Related terms
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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