PARIS, April 11 (Reuters) - The French economy is set to
grow around 0.2% in the first quarter of 2023, up from around
0.1% forecast last month, the central bank said on Tuesday, as
activity in three main sectors picked up steam.
The Bank of France said companies polled in its monthly
business sentiment survey reported activity in March was
stronger than in February in the industrial sector, as well as
in services and in construction.
The improving sentiment comes despite widespread strikes
against pension reform that have weighed on transport and
energy. Millions have taken to the streets in protest after
President Emmanuel Macron's government pushed through a plan to
raise the retirement age by two years to 64.
For April, companies expected a further improvement in
services and the industrial sector, but a decline in
construction, the central bank said.
Meanwhile, supply chain troubles eased further in
construction, with only 20% of companies mentioning them as an
issue in March against 24% in February. The situation also
improved in the industrial sector in March where the ratio
declined to 30% from 33% in February.
In March, raw material prices were stable overall, except in
agro-food and aeronautics, where prices continued to rise.
For April, companies expect a further decline in selling
prices in the industrial and services sector and stability in
construction.
The number of firms having staffing troubles remained high
in March at 52%, the central bank said.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
Messaging: dominique.vidalon.reuters.com@reuters.net))
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