In this period of All Saints’ Day, the funeral specialist Roc Eclerc takes stock of the evolution of the funeral market in France. They are profound and result in a renewal of the offer and its professionals.
The use of cremation is becoming more and more important. It affected only 1% of the French in 1980 against 40% last year and 30% in 2010. 73% in 2045”, we can read.
“Religion recession, relaxation of religious prohibitions, connection with nature…: if the reasons can be multiple, this trend poses new challenges in terms of infrastructure and services in the territories,” adds the specialist.
73% of cremations in 2045
A progression that we also owe to its cost, cremation has always been cheaper than burials. But today there is the problem of cost with gasoline prices rising sharply. Companies in the sector also anticipate significant price increases (+35%) in the coming months.
Another underlying trend is the transformation of a profession “whose reality less and less corresponds to the stereotypes with which it is associated”.
These transformations imply a renewal of employees in the sector. Hiring is on the rise. According to the study, hiring with an indefinite contract increased by 30% between 2019 and 2021, going from 1,624 to 2,119 signed contracts.
“The funeral industry attracts more and more people, particularly in the context of professional retraining. Very different profiles turn every year to these professions with a very strong human dimension. Funeral support professions are now fully valued by graduates. series of transversal skills, both technical and normative or psychological: sense of listening, ethics, duty and advice”, we can read.
New professions and training.
New professions are emerging such as funeral Planner, a new booming profession similar to that of funeral director and master of ceremonies, to support families who wish to organize a specially personalized or original ceremony.
Finally, the feminization of the sector is clearly (finally) underway. “Since the end of the last century, due to the fall of the stereotypes associated with the sector, it has experienced a true feminization that continues continuously,” the observatory underlines. 34% of women worked in the sector in 2020 compared to 20% in 2005.
Roc Eclerc thus recalls that “in all cultures, women have always had a particular role in carrying out funeral rites and in observing mourning. However, for a long time she has kept away from the exercise of funerary trades, reserved for men “.
Source: BFM TV
