After the euphoria, the Lozère economy is more cautious, but remains efficient

Les organisateurs de la soirée de l'économie, CCI, Banque de France, avec la représentante de l'Etat. MIDI LIBRE – STEPHANIE BOULOIR

La Chambre de commerce et de l'industrie de la Lozère et la Banque de France ont conjointement présenté le bilan 2023 et les perspectives 2024.

After two years that could almost be described as euphoric, the economy evening, co-organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry # Industry (CCI) of Lozère and the Banque de France, at the beginning of March, took a slightly more measured tone. In front of a well-stocked audience of economic and financial partners, business leaders, elected officials and administrations, the results of the year 2023 were presented and, above all, the prospects for 2024. "Business leaders need to have visibility, to know how the territory behaves", asked Thierry Julier, president of the CCI.

The decline in inflation

The Banque de France, through its departmental director Fabrice Bugnon-Murys, first made a national update, confirming a recovery expected for 2025,&nbsp ;as well as the decline in inflation, with a gradual return to 2% by 2025 at the latest. Added to this good news are others, such as the increase in real wages which stimulates consumption, the main driver of growth in 2024. Downside for businesses: slowed investments, in particular because of the context and the ambient uncertainty, and an extension of payment deadlines.

Full employment

Concerning the economic health of the department, the central point is of course the unemployment rate, at 4.8% while it stands at 8.8% in Occitanie and 7.2 % in mainland France. It is therefore full employment. And this has consequences for companies which struggle to recruit. "Fifteen professions account for 40% of the offers, and these professions are those of catering and medico-social", underlines Mathieu Rissoan. Out of 4,100 offers submitted, 38% concern public administration, which encounters the same recruitment problems. The study carried out by the CCI makes it possible to target two main obstacles to employment: digital exclusion and transport. Two subjects on which the partners, such as the State through the voice of Laure Trotin, secretary general of the prefecture, and the Department, through that of its president Sophie Pantel, have said they are working. < /p>

Other interesting data, the average salary in the private sector is lower than in other departments in the region, 2,218 euros, but the use of temporary work is also much lower in Lozère than elsewhere (0.96% of salaried jobs).

The figures for business creation were also communicated, "after two somewhat crazy years, where we outperformed a little< /em>", warned Mathieu Rissoan. There were 592 in 2012, 559 in 2022, 458 in 2023. For 246 radiations. The share of entrepreneurs under 30 years old increases from year to year, and the sector which records the most creations-takeovers remains the hotel and catering industry.