At the start of the health and economic crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, almost all business sectors were affected, albeit to varying degrees. Since then, the health measures put in place to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in significant differences in terms of their impact from one business sector to the next and, as a result, the economic trajectories of the sectors are also diverging. This difference is highlighted by the results of the monthly Acemo-Covid [labour force activity and working conditions during the COVID-19 health crisis] survey. Throughout the crisis in 2020, administrative closures, loss of business opportunities and a lack of staff available for work affected different business sectors in different ways. In turn, companies have made varying use of temporary lay-offs schemes and remote working.

The economic situation in the catering and arts and entertainment sectors remained dire throughout 2020, with very heavy reliance on temporary lay-offs schemes. Conversely, in the construction sector, business returned to normal by early summer. In an intermediate position, the automotive and IT services sectors have seen business recover, but remain at low levels, with both sectors being characterised by the extent to which they are able to replace on-site work with remote working. Finally, trade has been less impacted than other sectors, but the situation is highly heterogeneous depending on the type of products sold (food or non-food) and the position in the distribution chain (wholesale or retail).