The French service industry remained in a downturn throughout February

France's Service Industry Faces Ongoing Challenges in 2026

In 2026, France's service sector experienced another month of declining business activity, marking the second consecutive downturn. New orders also dropped, with a notable decrease in demand from overseas clients. To maintain output, companies focused on clearing existing backlogs. Despite these setbacks, hiring saw a modest increase and business confidence for the coming year stayed strong.

The seasonally adjusted HCOB France Services PMI® Business Activity Index, which tracks monthly changes in service sector activity, remained below the 50.0 threshold in February—indicating continued contraction rather than growth.