Insee Première · July 2021 · n° 1867

An unprecedented fall of turnover in the manufacturing sector in 2020

Value added in terms of volume for the French manufacturing industry fell by 12% in 2020, the largest fall seen in the post-war period. The situation worsened in France and other European countries alike. Car and aeronautical manufacturing were hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 health crisis. In this context, only health-related activities experienced a slight increase in production volume. The food-processing industry held strong thanks to household consumption. France lost market shares in 2020; the foreign trade deficit doubled. The use of short-time working made it possible to limit the decrease of the number of paid employees.