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Most business leaders across France are optimistic about the country's economy, but that optimism has been waning for years. According to our 2024 Business Leaders Outlook survey, 51% of executives have a positive outlook on the French economy. Last year he was 56% optimistic and in 2022 it was 60%. Compared to neighboring countries, France ranks between Germany (59%) and the UK (43%) in terms of optimism.
Seven in 10 leaders are optimistic about their industry's performance this year, and 77% are bullish about their company's prospects for 2024. Both indicators have remained relatively stable since last year.
Still, leaders primarily expect their businesses to grow. About 78% expect 2024 earnings and sales to increase, 10 percentage points higher than the 68% who predicted early last year that 2023 sales would be better than 2022.
As inflation continues, 73% of French business leaders say business costs are rising, compared to 56% who said the same last year.
The main concerns cited in this year's survey were labor, economic uncertainty, cybersecurity and fraud, and rising interest rates.
And as artificial intelligence and machine learning become more mainstream, it suggests midsize companies are already exploring powerful new technologies. 80% of companies are using or considering AI tools.
