A highly qualified active population

Highly skilled jobs are the driving force behind the local economy and contribute to modernizing the industrial fabric and creating innovative start-ups.
- No. 1 in France for engineers, as a percentage of total employment,
- No. 2 in France for top managers, as a percentage of total employment,
- No. 2 in France for skilled design and management jobs.

A cosmopolitan population

Out of a population of 1,203,500, Grenoble-Isère has 92,900 foreign residents (8% of the total).
Some 456 companies wholly or partly owned by foreign investors are located here, accounting for more than 42,000 jobs. The top investors are the United States, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Scandinavian countries and Switzerland. Rhône-Alpes is France’s top target for job-creating inward investment.

A large graduate population

Grenoble-Isère boasts a younger, better qualified active population than France’s national average. This level of qualification stems from the strong presence of some of the world’s leading industrial firms, the area’s major university and the site’s overall appeal.
The requirements of a cutting-edge industrial fabric with an international dimension have led to the development of highly qualified jobs and to the presence of a high number of foreign managers. This has prompted the emergence of a rich cultural mix and greater competitiveness.
Thus, Grenoble-Isère, in particular the Grenoble area, boasts a higher proportion of graduates than Rhône-Alpes and France as a whole (8% more than the national average):

• 40% of Grenoble-Isère’s students are involved in Masters or Doctoral programmes.

• 37.3% of Grenoble-Isère’s population holds a certificate of higher education, compared to 29.8% at national level.

• 11.1% of Grenoble-Isère’s population has a level of qualification equivalent to two years of study after the end of secondary school or a BTS (vocational training certificate), compared to 8.5% at national level.