Following a stable March, the business climate in the French construction sector has remained in a similar state in April. This is according to a survey and report by French national statistics association l’Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (Insee), monitored by Kallanish.

While as many business managers as in March have indicated a decrease in their past activity, the balance of opinion on expected activity has increased sharply. It has in fact reached the highest such level since March 2008, well above its long term-average. Likewise, business managers' opinion about the general outlook of the industry has improved.

In April more companies than in March have indicated a fall in staff numbers over the last three months. The balance of opinion on expected employment is virtually stable, slightly below its long-term average.

Construction companies’ order books have also slightly improved this month compared to March. At current staffing levels, business managers consider that their order books provide 6.7 months of work. This represents a lower level than last month but higher than its long-term average of 5.5 months, Insee says.

After rebounding for a year and a half, the production capacity utilisation rate has been virtually stable since August 2016, hovering at around 87%. In April it improved slightly reaching 87.4%. However, it has remained below its long-term average since January 2012, the institute adds.