Lyonruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Pharmaceuticals & biotech
Sanofi Pasteur, bioMérieux, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merial, BioMérieux
Lyon is one of the world's major vaccine and infectious-disease centres, with Sanofi Pasteur's principal operations and a research ecosystem around the P4 high-containment laboratory.
Chemicals & industrial
Arkema, Solvay, Elkem, Bluestar Silicones
The Vallée de la Chimie south of the city is one of Europe's oldest and densest chemical industry corridors, now being redirected toward energy transition and green chemistry.
Technology & digital
Ubisoft, Sopra Steria, Capgemini, Esker, Ilek
A substantial technology sector weighted toward enterprise software and video games, with Ubisoft's Lyon studio one of its most significant worldwide.
Banking & professional services
Crédit Agricole, LCL, April Group, EY, KPMG
The Part-Dieu district is France's largest business quarter outside Paris La Défense, with substantial banking, insurance and professional services employment.
International organisations
Interpol, IARC (WHO), Euronews
Interpol's global headquarters and the World Health Organization's cancer research agency are both here, which gives Lyon a genuine international institutional presence.
Gastronomy & food
Bocuse group, Halles Paul Bocuse, Institut Paul Bocuse, Sirha
Lyon's claim to be the gastronomic capital of France is economically real — the food industry, hospitality training and the biennial Sirha trade fair are all substantial employers.
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