It has been a few years since France stopped closing more factories than it opened. But for the first time, an industrial barometer produced by state services is officially published by the government. And this, made public this Wednesday, shows that, last year, 201 sites were created or benefited from a net extension, that is to say by making the difference between openings and closures. The previous year, the balance was already positive, at 176. There was therefore a 14% increase in net openings between 2022 and 2023.
When we only look at the pure creations of new factories, the movement is positive. There were 49, in net, in 2022. And 57 last year. Giant factories manufacturing batteries and battery components, or those related to hydrogen, are part of this. In addition, “the number of extensions (144, Editor’s note) is interesting because it shows that France has an industrial base already present and that it is also dynamic”, we analyze at Roland’s office Lescure, the Minister Delegate in charge of Industry.
On a sectoral level, it is a traditional sector, the agri-food industry, which displays the greatest dynamism, with 47 openings or extensions in 2023. It is followed by the green-recycling industry, which corresponds more to a sector of new activity, then health. Conversely, the plastics industry and extractive industries are at net zero, and the paper and cardboard sector lost one site over the year.
The size of the sites, the investments made to open them and the impact in terms of job creation do not appear in this barometer. Monday March 26, at the opening of the “Global Industrie” show, which is held between March 26 and 28 in Villepinte, in the Paris region, Roland Lescure however specified that the industry had been a net creator of jobs since 2017. And had cited the figure of 130,000 net creations.
This dynamism can be explained by a certain number of reforms undertaken to improve the competitiveness of the industry. But also by the importance of public financial support, in particular through the France Relance and France 2030 plans. However, industrialists are today concerned about the sustainability of this support, at a time when the government is seeking to restore public finances.
