According to data published Tuesday by INSEE, the business climate deteriorated slightly in France in March. This trend can be seen in all areas of activity with the exception of wholesale trade.
The business climate deteriorated slightly in France in March, the indicator which summarizes it losing one point compared to February while remaining above its historical average, according to data published Tuesday by INSEE.
The indicator stands at 103 points, against 104 the previous month, according to the press release from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), which revised the business climate for February up by one point. , initially valued at 103. Despite the slight decline recorded between February and March, the indicator remains three points above its long-term average (100).
The employment climate
During the third month of the year, the business climate deteriorated in all areas of activity with the exception of wholesale trade, says INSEE. In the retail trade, the indicator thus lost three points over one month (from 102 to 99) and fell below its historical average, penalized by fears concerning future customer ordering intentions.
In industry, construction and services, the business climate lost only one point over one month and remained above the historical averages of each of the three sectors concerned. Conversely, in wholesale trade, a sector whose business climate is only published every two months by INSEE, the indicator “improved in March compared to January, driven by sales of opinion relating to deliveries received from abroad and recent sales abroad”, specifies the institute.
Finally, the employment climate confirmed its good performance and stood for the fourth consecutive month at 110 points. “This stability results in March from contrasting developments”, specifies INSEE, the optimism of the industrialists as for their future workforce being counterbalanced by a greater caution on the prospects for employment in the service sector.
