GLOSSARY
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.
IN DEPTH
The TJM (Taux Journalier Moyen / average day rate) is the amount billed per day for a consulting service. Central commercial metric in staffing firms, consulting and freelancing. In France 2026, median IT consultant day rate is €580/day per Cobalt study, up 24% from 2020. By profile: junior developer €420, confirmed €560, senior €720, architect €950, AI/ML consultant €1,050. Day rate billed to client covers: consultant salary (~60-70%), employer charges (~20% of gross salary), allocated fixed costs (management, tools, offices, marketing, sales: 8-12%), and staffing firm gross margin (20-30% typical, 23% median 2026). Net freelance day rate equates to 85-90% of billed staffing firm day rate. EU Directive 2023/970 on pay transparency will impact day rate negotiations from June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
€720/day median (Cobalt 2026 study). Wide range €600-900 depending on stack, sector, region and experience. Paris +15-20% vs province. High-tension stacks (AI/ML, Rust, Go): +20-30%.
Gross margin = (billed day rate - full consultant cost) / billed day rate. Example €580 day rate, consultant salary €350/day + charges €70 = €420. Gross margin = (580-420)/580 = 27.6%. Healthy target: 25-35%.
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.
- 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.
- Freelance ManagementFreelance management encompasses sourcing, contracting, onboarding and tracking practices for freelance consultants on short or long missions.
- Offshore ITOffshore 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.
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- Salary Transparency Will Change the Staffing Firm Business Model: What You Need to AnticipateEU Directive 2023/970 takes effect in 2026. For staffing firms, it's not just an HR obligation — it strikes at the heart of the business model: daily rates, margins, recruitment, retention. Here's what concretely changes.
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