Good news for the French economy? In its latest economic report, the Banque de France points to several positive indicators. “Activity continues to increase, albeit at a moderate pace,” Olivier Garnier, general director of statistics, studies and international at the Banque de France, stressed Thursday morning on the set of BFM Business. To carry out its monthly survey, the institution interviewed 8,500 companies between April 26 and May 4.
According to the Banque de France monthly survey, 13% of business leaders said they had increased their sales prices in the industry in April, compared with 49% a year earlier. In agribusiness, the figure fell from 53% in April 2022 to 19% this year. As for the other economic sectors, 23% of businessmen in the construction sector declare that they have increased their prices (compared to 65% the previous year) and 19% in services (compared to 29%).
recruitment difficulties
In addition, companies’ supply difficulties are clearly diminishing: in the industry, 28% of companies report having encountered such difficulties in April, compared to 64% a year earlier. “Most of the supply difficulties in the industry are behind us,” said Olivier Garnier. A drop was also observed in the construction sector: 17% of companies were affected in April 2023, compared to 54% in April 2022.
According to the Banque de France, 51% of companies say they are still affected by recruitment difficulties. “Quarter after quarter, we are positively surprised by the fact that there is always net job creation,” Olivier Garnier continued, but “there is a counterpart to this job creation, which is that productivity is declining.” Therefore, in the medium term […]we rather expect a drop in employment, but at the moment we don’t see it yet.”
Source: BFM TV
