What are salaries in industry and energy in 2026?
In fixed annual gross pay and on a national basis, according to the Volta Executive 2026 grid: technicians from 24 to 60 k€, engineers from 30 to 80 k€, leadership & management from 60 to over 200 k€, from entry level to profiles with more than ten years' experience. Paris and the Île-de-France region sit +12 % above, other regions −5 % below. The barometer covers 92 roles in 17 families: 45 energy roles and 47 industry positions.
What are the best-paid roles in industry in 2026?
In our grid, for a profile with over ten years' experience, in fixed annual gross pay: VP / Managing Director of a Business Unit (> €200k), Group CFO (> €170k), Group HR director (> €160k), Operations director (> €140k), Supply chain director (> €130k). Variable pay and long-term plans come on top.
Are these salaries for Paris or for the regions?
The ranges are written on a national basis, in fixed annual gross pay, excluding variable pay and role-related allowances. Paris and Île-de-France sit 12% above for an equivalent role, other regions 5% below, a gap of about 18% between the two. Large cities (Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Strasbourg) are read at the national median. The barometer PDF gives both columns, Paris and regions, for each of the four experience bands.
Why do some roles not drop in the regions?
Because roles in short supply have no regional market. Their talent pool is national: an automation technician, a shift leader or a nuclear safety engineer will go elsewhere if the offer is below market, whatever the city. For these roles, applying a regional discount amounts to not hiring. They are flagged in the grids.
How many roles does this barometer cover?
92 roles in 17 families. On the energy side, 45 roles in nine families: renewables, nuclear, hydrogen and storage, grids, energy efficiency, EV charging (IRVE), operations and maintenance, energy markets, management. On the industry side, 47 positions: technicians, engineers, management, HSE and QHSE, CSR and ESG, supply chain and purchasing, human resources, finance. Each role is given across four experience bands.
Is the salary shown the full package?
No, it is the base pay. Variable pay, profit-sharing, participation and long-term plans increase the package by 15 to 25%, and by up to 20 to 30% for leadership roles. On shift-work roles (2x8, 3x8, 5x8), shift and on-call allowances add a further 15 to 25% of base pay. This is the leading source of misunderstanding in negotiations: client grids are gross excluding bonuses, while shift-working candidates quote net pay with all bonuses included.
How do I use this barometer to negotiate my salary?
In four steps. Find your role and experience band in the grid. Adjust for the area: +12% in Paris, -5% in the regions, nothing for roles in short supply. Add variable pay, 15 to 25% of the package. Then compare your current base pay with the range, base against base. Changing employer is still the first lever: a 9% increase is expected, against 2% when staying (Robert Walters, 2026 pay study).
Where do the figures come from and how recent are they?
From a meta-analysis of more than 70 sources in four layers: institutions (Apec, Insee, France Travail and the BMO 2026, Dares, IESF, Ademe, Gifen), 2026 firm salary grids, self-reported data and published job ads as a control floor (179 ads with a stated salary collected on September 4, 2026), and 83 anonymized salary data points from our 2025-2026 mandates. The 45 energy ranges were recalibrated in September 2026 after an adversarial audit. No individual data is published.
Which energy roles are most in short supply in 2026?
Of the barometer's 45 roles, 4 face extreme shortage and 6 critical shortage. The four roles at extreme criticality are all field roles: RCC-M certified welder, grid and substation technician, wind turbine maintenance technician, energy construction manager. All are measured above 70 % of hires rated difficult in France Travail's BMO 2026 survey.