This recruitment campaign, described as "unprecedented" by the RATP, includes the hiring of 2,700 bus drivers, almost double last year, 400 metro drivers and 700 station and station agents.
Other sectors under pressure are particularly affected, such as maintenance, with 400 vacancies.
Last year, problems of understaffing in certain workshops led to a deterioration in service on several metro lines, in particular the 12, where the rolling stock maintenance rate had to be slowed down.
The RATP is also seeking to fill 120 security officer positions, another profession where candidates are rare.
In addition to the 4,900 recruitments on permanent contracts, the RATP has announced that it is offering 1,000 work-study contracts and 700 integration contracts.
In comparison, the group had set itself the objective of recruiting 1,700 permanent employees in 2022. It finally hired 2,753 due to operating problems encountered on the bus and metro networks.
At the beginning of January, the CEO of the Jean Castex group announced his intention to recruit "4,500 people" in order to return to a normal level of service in 2023 after the fiasco at the end of last year in Parisian transport.
The ambitions have therefore been revised upwards.
As a reminder, the RATP network found itself in great pain over the last four months of 2022 with one bus in four not running and between 10 and 20% of the metro offer not carried out.
Recruitment difficulties, increase in absenteeism and resignations, latent social conflict among bus drivers or maintenance... The causes of the degradation of service are now known.
A year and a half before the opening of the Olympic Games and while transport will be a crucial issue for the smooth running of the competition, the RATP wants to "make it possible to ensure the expected offer on the networks and prepare the major events for come".
Sometimes questioned for its lack of attractiveness, the company defended itself by claiming to have received "nearly 91,500 CVs" in 2022. It has also set itself the objective of feminizing its workforce during this recruitment campaign.
© 2023 AFP