The French service sector contracted in April largely due to a deceleration in incoming new business, final data from Markit Economics showed Friday.
The final business activity index dropped to 45.2, down from the flash estimate of 46.4. It stayed below March's 50.1.
Incoming new business decreased at the steepest rate for three years, leading to a substantial reduction in activity. Consequently, backlogs of work dipped sharply.
Lower workloads did not result in job shedding, however, as employment remained stable on the month. Meanwhile, optimism regarding future activity weakened to the lowest since January.
Input prices remained solid in April. However, prices charged by service providers fell slightly.
The composite output index dropped to 45.9 in April from 48.7 in March. That was the lowest since October 2011 and weaker than the earlier flash reading of 46.8.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.