While the Val d'Oise department's economic fabric is largely composed of small and medium sized firms and companies, it also accommodates many large firms that have an essential role in its economic dynamics
Large companies are major contractors and work with a dense, diversified network of sub-contractors. But a large part of the Val d'Oise department's industrial production is generated by many medium-size size companies.
These are mainly directed towards an entire series of technologically based activities: computer equipment, industrial equipment, digital services, biotech companies, electronics, manufacturing with high added value, etc. For example, The Val d'Oise department ranks among top French departments in the robot production branch.
2,000 hectares of surface area in the Val d'Oise department (1.6% of the department's territory) are currently allotted to economic activity zones. The Cergy-Pontoise and Roissy CDG airport economic poles still have areas which are immediately available: 17 economic activity zones already have over 1,000 employees each.
Since 1990 the department has created over 100,000 salaried jobs, one of France's best performances in terms of growth. In 2004, the Val d'Oise department was ranked among top French departments in terms of growth in the number of salaried jobs. While jobs increase more rapidly in tertiary economic activity sectors, the depart-ment is more resistant to the deindustrialisation phenomenon affecting the Ile-de-France region.
