Gardeners and landscapers benefit from the efforts of the ecological transition

"The sector is undergoing a major transformation, with environmental and biodiversity issues," Laurent Bizot, president of the National Union of Landscape Companies (UNEP), told AFP.

Gardeners and landscapers are now called upon to "contribute to the creation of cool spots, to the renaturation of cities, to the de-artificialization of soils," he listed, explaining that knowledge of plants is added to that of "soils, water, and wildlife to take ownership of these subjects."

This has resulted in a strong need for recruitment: in the second half of 2024, three-quarters of the 35.000 landscaping companies recruited new employees, including 45% on permanent contracts.

And 43% of companies surveyed as part of the UNEP study reported having encountered recruitment difficulties over the last six months.

"We hire 35 to 40 people a day and we think we're short about the same number," says Laurent Bizot, who reports recruitment difficulties he has observed "for many years."

He hopes that changes in the sector and the emergence of new jobs linked to biodiversity will make the sector even more visible and attractive.

Nicolas Leroy, president of the UNEP economic commission, welcomed the "continuation of a favorable growth and development curve over the past few years" for the landscaping professions.

The year 2024 nevertheless showed "first signs of a slight slowdown in growth," according to Nicolas Leroy, who points out that the sector's turnover had seen increases of 4% to 5% in previous years.

Political uncertainties and weather have had a negative impact on landscaping businesses in 2024.

In detail, the activity of maintaining gardens and natural spaces shows an increase of 5,5% in the second half of 2024, while the activity of creating new green spaces increased by 2,5%.

Individuals, who represent half of the turnover of gardeners and landscapers, generated 4% more business compared to the first half of the year, "driven by an improvement in household purchasing power," according to UNEP.