Fondateur AI2 · 15+ ans d'expérience IA
Methodology
Scope: 12 AI/data careers, 3 experience brackets (0-2, 3-7, 8+ years), 7 cities (Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Brussels, Lille, Nantes), 10 sectors.
Data sources: aggregation and synthesis of five public reference studies — APEC Emploi Cadres 2026, Hays AI & Data Salary Guide 2026, Michael Page Technology 2026, Talent.io Tech Salary Report 2026, Glassdoor France 2026. The barometer uses no internal figures: we synthesise public ranges and weight them by job-posting volumes observed on LinkedIn / Indeed / Welcome to the Jungle (April 2026).
Measure: gross annual all-inclusive salary (base + variable + bonuses), excluding BSPCE and equity. Medians and ranges computed on public data.
Collection: January–April 2026, quarterly updates (Q2 published in July 2026, Q3 in October 2026).
Detailed sources:
• APEC Emploi Cadres 2026 — annual public study of executive salaries in France, focus data & tech.
• Hays AI & Data Salary Guide 2026 — sectorial reference by career, level and region.
• Michael Page Technology Salary Guide 2026 — data by scope (start-up, mid-market, large group).
• Talent.io Tech Salary Report 2026 — recent French tech market data.
• Glassdoor France 2026 — declarative data by job and company.
• France Compétences — official RNCP data by career.
This barometer is a weighted synthesis of these public sources. No proprietary data is used. Weighting: ~30% APEC, ~20% Hays, ~20% Michael Page, ~15% Talent.io, ~10% Glassdoor, ~5% LinkedIn / Indeed posting volumes April 2026.
Data licence: CC-BY 4.0 — free reproduction with citation « Source: AI2 Barometer 2026 (synthesis of public studies) ».
Key 2026 figures
Highest-paying career (Senior)
AI Research Scientist
120 – 200 K€
Strongest 2025→2026 growth
Prompt Engineer
Fastest-rising salaries
Most undersupplied career
AI Ethicist
Demand driven by the EU AI Act
Salaries by career (12 profiles)
| Career | Junior (0-2) | Mid (3-7) | Senior (8+) | Demand 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist Data & AI | €42-55K | €55-75K | €75-120K | Job openings growing strongly in 2026 (APEC studies) |
| Prompt Engineer GenAI | €45-60K | €60-90K | €90-150K | Emerging role in high demand in 2026 |
| Machine Learning Engineer Engineering | €45-60K | €60-85K | €85-140K | Demand rising sharply in 2026 |
| AI Product Manager Product | €50-65K | €65-90K | €90-130K | Increasingly sought-after profile in 2026 |
| Data Analyst Data | €35-45K | €45-60K | €60-85K | Sustained demand across all sectors |
| Data Engineer Engineering | €42-55K | €55-80K | €80-130K | In-demand role — scarce profiles |
| AI Ethicist Governance | €45-60K | €60-85K | €85-130K | Demand driven by the EU AI Act |
| MLOps Engineer Engineering | €48-62K | €62-88K | €88-145K | MLOps profiles highly sought after in 2026 |
| Computer Vision Engineer Specialized | €45-58K | €58-85K | €85-135K | Sustained demand in health and industry |
| NLP Engineer Specialized | €46-60K | €60-88K | €88-140K | Very strong demand driven by LLMs |
| AI Research Scientist Research | €55-75K | €75-120K | €120-200K | Growing demand in AI labs |
| AI Business Analyst Business | €40-52K | €52-72K | €72-100K | Hybrid profile increasingly sought after |
Annual gross all-inclusive (base + variable + bonuses), excluding equity. Observed median, interquartile range 25–75%.
Salaries by city (multipliers vs Paris)
Paris
National benchmark
Lyon
-8% vs Paris, gap closing
Bordeaux
-12%, fast-growing tech ecosystem
Toulouse
-10%, aerospace and defense lift salaries
Brussels
EU institutions + large Belgian groups
Lille
-14%, Decathlon/Auchan/OVHcloud
Nantes
-13%, vibrant French Tech scene
How to read: a mid-level Data Scientist in Paris with median 65 K€ earns ~65 × 0.92 = 60 K€ in Lyon. Note: cost of living is ~20% lower outside Paris = often higher purchasing power.
Salaries by sector (premium / discount)
Finance & Banking
Risk, fraud, algo-trading, KYC/AML shortage
Consulting firms
High client billing, strong talent competition
Tech scale-ups
Equity + BSPCE, premium technical work
Health & BioPharma
Compliance, sensitive data, long training cycles
Industry & Aerospace
Stable permanent contracts, critical IT missions
Retail & E-commerce
Reference market
Public sector
Public-sector pay scale, but job security
Early-stage startup
Lower base, compensated by equity (typically 1-5%)
Evolution 2020–2026
Over the last 6 years, AI/data salaries have grown strongly, with three major shifts:
- 2020–2022: moderate growth (~+4%/yr), classical Data Scientist dominates.
- 2023 (ChatGPT shock): Prompt Engineer job postings explode, salaries under tension.
- 2024–2026 (AI Act + mainstreaming): governance roles emerge (AI Ethicist in the lead), top salaries stabilise high, sector premiums widen.
2027 forecast: top salaries (Research Scientist, Prompt Engineer) stabilise but strong rise for "operational AI" roles (MLOps, AI PM) as productivity pressure grows.
Salaries by training path
First post-graduation hire (median, Paris):
- Master's RNCP Level 7 (AI2, Jedha, DataScientest certified) : 45–55 K€
- 3-6 month bootcamp (Le Wagon, Ironhack) : 40–48 K€
- University Master's in AI (Sorbonne, Dauphine, etc.) : 42–52 K€
- Engineering school + AI specialization : 45–58 K€
- Self-taught + solid GitHub portfolio : 32–45 K€ (high variance)
The RNCP 7 (Master's) generally brings a clear salary advantage on first hire vs an equivalent non-degreed profile, thanks to State recognition and full eligibility for corporate salary scales.
Work-study vs initial training
Profiles graduating from a work-study program generally command a higher first salary, thanks to the professional experience already accumulated (2-3 years in company). See our complete AI work-study guide 2026.
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Download the full PDFRecommended citation: "AI & Data Salary Barometer France 2026, AI2, April 2026, https://ecole-artificielle-intelligence.com/salaires/barometre-metiers-ia-france-2026"
Licence: Creative Commons BY 4.0 — free reproduction with citation.
Further reading : AI work-study guide · RNCP guide · All AI careers · Which AI career for you?