23 April 2020
2020- n° 102The general business outlook falls sharply in the building construction industry –
April 2020 Monthly survey of building - April 2020
According to the business managers in the building construction industry surveyed in April 2020, the activity prospects have plummeted in the sector.
Given the context of the fight against the spread of COVID-19, the statistics published in this issue of Informations Rapides may be less accurate than usual.
Companies’ responses were collected between 25 March and 17 April 2020, during general lockdown, solely online and without any reminder. Consequently, the response rate is lower this month than usual.
Given the usual non-response completion design, relying on past answers for non-responding firms, it is possible that some indicators are overestimated in this publication.
As the response rate was particularly low in the building construction industry survey, the results presented in this Informations Rapides are condensed and are not accompanied by the usual long-term series file.
According to the business managers in the building construction industry surveyed in April 2020, the activity prospects have plummeted in the sector.
Activity prospects are largely deteriorated
In April 2020, almost all business managers of building firms with more than 10 employees are pessimist on the general outlook for the sector although they were rather confident in January: the corresponding balance, estimated only with the respondent firms as usual, has plunged to -90, the lowest level since the beginning of the series (1975), not far from the lowest theoretical level (-100).
Moreover, concerning their own activity, many more business managers than in the previous month have anticipated a decrease for the next three months. The corresponding balance of opinion, rectified from non-response, falls at his lowest level since May 2015. Also, significantly more business managers than in the previous month have indicated a decrease in their activities over the last three months.
tableauBuilding industry economic outlook
| Mean* | Jan. 20 | Feb. 20 | Mar. 20 | Apr. 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Past activity | -3 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 6 |
| Expected activity | -5 | 10 | 16 | 7 | -22 |
| General business outlook | -16 | 7 | -90 | ||
| Cash-flow position | -10 | 5 | -36 | ||
| Payment period | 30 | 27 | 44 |
- *Mean since April 1975 for the composite indicator and since September 1993 for the balances of opinion.
- Source: INSEE, French business survey in the building industry
tableauActivity tendency in building construction
| Expected activity | Past activity | |
|---|---|---|
| 1998-01 | -4.4 | -3.8 |
| 1998-02 | -5.1 | 0.7 |
| 1998-03 | 0.0 | 5.6 |
| 1998-04 | -3.6 | 2.7 |
| 1998-05 | 0.9 | 7.8 |
| 1998-06 | 3.8 | 13.6 |
| 1998-07 | 3.9 | 16.8 |
| 1998-08 | 5.9 | 18.3 |
| 1998-09 | 7.4 | 19.7 |
| 1998-10 | 4.5 | 13.5 |
| 1998-11 | -0.4 | 16.0 |
| 1998-12 | -9.7 | 3.1 |
| 1999-01 | -0.4 | 18.0 |
| 1999-02 | 3.5 | 12.1 |
| 1999-03 | 5.3 | 15.2 |
| 1999-04 | 9.0 | 19.6 |
| 1999-05 | 22.6 | 18.4 |
| 1999-06 | 14.6 | 17.9 |
| 1999-07 | 16.9 | 23.3 |
| 1999-08 | 17.4 | 24.2 |
| 1999-09 | 17.6 | 24.8 |
| 1999-10 | 14.3 | 29.1 |
| 1999-11 | 17.8 | 28.0 |
| 1999-12 | 33.1 | 32.4 |
| 2000-01 | 32.4 | 34.8 |
| 2000-02 | 23.1 | 33.6 |
| 2000-03 | 26.9 | 34.9 |
| 2000-04 | 29.9 | 44.1 |
| 2000-05 | 26.1 | 35.1 |
| 2000-06 | 31.5 | 34.8 |
| 2000-07 | 31.9 | 40.5 |
| 2000-08 | 32.2 | 40.4 |
| 2000-09 | 32.4 | 40.4 |
| 2000-10 | 34.3 | 40.1 |
| 2000-11 | 29.3 | 40.1 |
| 2000-12 | 24.9 | 33.2 |
| 2001-01 | 7.8 | 34.8 |
| 2001-02 | 9.0 | 34.7 |
| 2001-03 | 12.1 | 30.4 |
| 2001-04 | 7.7 | 17.0 |
| 2001-05 | 2.9 | 19.3 |
| 2001-06 | 0.5 | 14.1 |
| 2001-07 | -2.4 | 12.0 |
| 2001-08 | -3.7 | 7.0 |
| 2001-09 | -5.3 | 2.5 |
| 2001-10 | -5.4 | 1.8 |
| 2001-11 | -4.5 | -3.1 |
| 2001-12 | -7.9 | -1.7 |
| 2002-01 | -4.2 | -6.4 |
| 2002-02 | -4.7 | -3.1 |
| 2002-03 | -3.7 | -0.7 |
| 2002-04 | -11.1 | -7.5 |
| 2002-05 | -2.8 | -0.2 |
| 2002-06 | -1.3 | -0.4 |
| 2002-07 | -6.4 | -11.3 |
| 2002-08 | -11.3 | -11.0 |
| 2002-09 | -16.4 | -9.6 |
| 2002-10 | -19.1 | -11.5 |
| 2002-11 | -19.7 | -15.5 |
| 2002-12 | -18.2 | -19.5 |
| 2003-01 | -23.3 | -13.3 |
| 2003-02 | -21.1 | -15.2 |
| 2003-03 | -23.7 | -18.4 |
| 2003-04 | -21.8 | -15.5 |
| 2003-05 | -18.0 | -16.9 |
| 2003-06 | -17.4 | -15.7 |
| 2003-07 | -14.3 | -16.1 |
| 2003-08 | -9.7 | -10.4 |
| 2003-09 | -5.5 | -3.6 |
| 2003-10 | -5.2 | -13.3 |
| 2003-11 | -0.1 | -9.6 |
| 2003-12 | 1.8 | -5.3 |
| 2004-01 | 15.6 | -1.3 |
| 2004-02 | 5.5 | 1.3 |
| 2004-03 | 8.7 | 3.1 |
| 2004-04 | 5.9 | 6.1 |
| 2004-05 | 2.6 | 6.3 |
| 2004-06 | 2.0 | 5.9 |
| 2004-07 | 10.9 | 6.9 |
| 2004-08 | 11.9 | 6.3 |
| 2004-09 | 12.3 | 6.9 |
| 2004-10 | 12.0 | 8.7 |
| 2004-11 | 11.7 | 13.4 |
| 2004-12 | 11.7 | 12.2 |
| 2005-01 | 11.6 | 11.1 |
| 2005-02 | 9.0 | 11.6 |
| 2005-03 | 13.2 | 8.3 |
| 2005-04 | 13.6 | 9.7 |
| 2005-05 | 12.6 | 9.2 |
| 2005-06 | 16.4 | 12.7 |
| 2005-07 | 14.8 | 15.4 |
| 2005-08 | 13.9 | 14.6 |
| 2005-09 | 12.9 | 15.3 |
| 2005-10 | 18.4 | 18.0 |
| 2005-11 | 22.9 | 19.3 |
| 2005-12 | 19.7 | 20.2 |
| 2006-01 | 20.2 | 20.5 |
| 2006-02 | 20.1 | 13.5 |
| 2006-03 | 16.5 | 17.5 |
| 2006-04 | 16.2 | 20.1 |
| 2006-05 | 17.5 | 21.0 |
| 2006-06 | 14.2 | 21.4 |
| 2006-07 | 16.7 | 21.2 |
| 2006-08 | 17.0 | 20.6 |
| 2006-09 | 18.3 | 22.6 |
| 2006-10 | 21.1 | 22.9 |
| 2006-11 | 23.3 | 20.6 |
| 2006-12 | 20.3 | 22.1 |
| 2007-01 | 21.4 | 20.2 |
| 2007-02 | 18.9 | 19.8 |
| 2007-03 | 18.2 | 22.5 |
| 2007-04 | 21.0 | 24.1 |
| 2007-05 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| 2007-06 | 21.0 | 25.0 |
| 2007-07 | 18.9 | 25.0 |
| 2007-08 | 17.7 | 20.7 |
| 2007-09 | 18.8 | 20.6 |
| 2007-10 | 15.9 | 19.6 |
| 2007-11 | 13.5 | 21.5 |
| 2007-12 | 16.7 | 19.2 |
| 2008-01 | 7.7 | 18.7 |
| 2008-02 | 15.3 | 18.0 |
| 2008-03 | 17.9 | 15.6 |
| 2008-04 | 10.0 | 16.3 |
| 2008-05 | 10.8 | 9.6 |
| 2008-06 | -4.3 | 5.0 |
| 2008-07 | -6.2 | -0.3 |
| 2008-08 | -5.4 | 0.3 |
| 2008-09 | -10.0 | -0.9 |
| 2008-10 | -33.4 | -10.6 |
| 2008-11 | -36.3 | -11.4 |
| 2008-12 | -30.7 | -21.0 |
| 2009-01 | -34.8 | -19.6 |
| 2009-02 | -46.6 | -25.8 |
| 2009-03 | -36.5 | -24.3 |
| 2009-04 | -35.8 | -30.0 |
| 2009-05 | -33.3 | -29.2 |
| 2009-06 | -33.7 | -33.1 |
| 2009-07 | -32.5 | -33.3 |
| 2009-08 | -27.3 | -31.2 |
| 2009-09 | -25.0 | -28.3 |
| 2009-10 | -21.4 | -25.0 |
| 2009-11 | -20.4 | -26.2 |
| 2009-12 | -20.0 | -26.5 |
| 2010-01 | -19.7 | -26.6 |
| 2010-02 | -18.2 | -23.7 |
| 2010-03 | -17.8 | -26.1 |
| 2010-04 | -17.4 | -25.4 |
| 2010-05 | -16.9 | -20.7 |
| 2010-06 | -15.2 | -17.6 |
| 2010-07 | -12.4 | -14.0 |
| 2010-08 | -10.8 | -12.6 |
| 2010-09 | -13.0 | -13.1 |
| 2010-10 | -4.4 | -13.1 |
| 2010-11 | -0.6 | -12.9 |
| 2010-12 | -0.8 | -7.9 |
| 2011-01 | -0.8 | -8.4 |
| 2011-02 | 3.3 | -3.7 |
| 2011-03 | 3.0 | 1.7 |
| 2011-04 | 5.3 | 8.3 |
| 2011-05 | 2.4 | 6.0 |
| 2011-06 | 4.4 | 6.2 |
| 2011-07 | 4.3 | 8.3 |
| 2011-08 | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| 2011-09 | -4.4 | -0.6 |
| 2011-10 | -4.9 | -2.2 |
| 2011-11 | -9.8 | -4.4 |
| 2011-12 | -11.5 | -4.5 |
| 2012-01 | -10.5 | -1.6 |
| 2012-02 | -12.3 | -3.6 |
| 2012-03 | -10.5 | -5.5 |
| 2012-04 | -11.9 | -8.7 |
| 2012-05 | -14.7 | -13.5 |
| 2012-06 | -14.0 | -13.6 |
| 2012-07 | -17.2 | -15.0 |
| 2012-08 | -19.3 | -15.1 |
| 2012-09 | -20.3 | -15.0 |
| 2012-10 | -26.0 | -18.3 |
| 2012-11 | -24.5 | -21.3 |
| 2012-12 | -21.9 | -20.6 |
| 2013-01 | -24.3 | -21.6 |
| 2013-02 | -22.0 | -23.1 |
| 2013-03 | -24.3 | -23.8 |
| 2013-04 | -24.6 | -28.2 |
| 2013-05 | -21.3 | -26.8 |
| 2013-06 | -24.0 | -26.6 |
| 2013-07 | -22.6 | -22.2 |
| 2013-08 | -19.7 | -16.6 |
| 2013-09 | -12.3 | -13.2 |
| 2013-10 | -15.6 | -13.3 |
| 2013-11 | -16.5 | -13.0 |
| 2013-12 | -18.6 | -20.2 |
| 2014-01 | -15.6 | -20.7 |
| 2014-02 | -20.6 | -17.2 |
| 2014-03 | -18.6 | -17.2 |
| 2014-04 | -22.4 | -17.5 |
| 2014-05 | -19.5 | -19.0 |
| 2014-06 | -17.6 | -18.3 |
| 2014-07 | -28.1 | -18.2 |
| 2014-08 | -27.3 | -25.3 |
| 2014-09 | -29.9 | -29.8 |
| 2014-10 | -29.9 | -31.7 |
| 2014-11 | -24.9 | -25.2 |
| 2014-12 | -28.0 | -23.1 |
| 2015-01 | -32.8 | -23.1 |
| 2015-02 | -23.7 | -30.1 |
| 2015-03 | -24.4 | -27.5 |
| 2015-04 | -23.9 | -20.8 |
| 2015-05 | -26.4 | -21.6 |
| 2015-06 | -20.4 | -20.0 |
| 2015-07 | -16.4 | -22.1 |
| 2015-08 | -8.6 | -18.6 |
| 2015-09 | -13.2 | -16.9 |
| 2015-10 | -15.2 | -14.3 |
| 2015-11 | -20.9 | -15.2 |
| 2015-12 | -8.1 | -11.6 |
| 2016-01 | -8.3 | -14.7 |
| 2016-02 | -16.1 | -15.0 |
| 2016-03 | -9.3 | -14.0 |
| 2016-04 | -5.0 | -13.4 |
| 2016-05 | -2.0 | -8.1 |
| 2016-06 | -2.5 | -8.9 |
| 2016-07 | -0.3 | -9.6 |
| 2016-08 | -3.2 | -7.5 |
| 2016-09 | 0.6 | -5.9 |
| 2016-10 | 3.7 | 0.0 |
| 2016-11 | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| 2016-12 | -1.1 | -5.6 |
| 2017-01 | -2.8 | 5.4 |
| 2017-02 | -0.4 | -1.3 |
| 2017-03 | 2.8 | -1.7 |
| 2017-04 | 5.9 | -6.6 |
| 2017-05 | 2.0 | 4.4 |
| 2017-06 | 3.6 | 10.7 |
| 2017-07 | 11.1 | 5.4 |
| 2017-08 | 13.4 | 1.3 |
| 2017-09 | 9.1 | 9.5 |
| 2017-10 | 8.5 | 5.8 |
| 2017-11 | 14.0 | 9.7 |
| 2017-12 | 14.3 | 13.2 |
| 2018-01 | 13.3 | 14.2 |
| 2018-02 | 11.2 | 13.9 |
| 2018-03 | 11.8 | 13.2 |
| 2018-04 | 13.2 | 10.6 |
| 2018-05 | 12.9 | 5.8 |
| 2018-06 | 12.7 | 4.5 |
| 2018-07 | 6.4 | 8.8 |
| 2018-08 | 4.2 | 8.3 |
| 2018-09 | 9.7 | 3.8 |
| 2018-10 | 10.5 | 4.6 |
| 2018-11 | 10.3 | 3.8 |
| 2018-12 | 11.8 | 6.5 |
| 2019-01 | 15.2 | 6.4 |
| 2019-02 | 15.6 | 10.1 |
| 2019-03 | 14.5 | 11.8 |
| 2019-04 | 11.9 | 11.4 |
| 2019-05 | 13.1 | 5.6 |
| 2019-06 | 15.2 | 9.0 |
| 2019-07 | 9.3 | 14.1 |
| 2019-08 | 10.3 | 9.2 |
| 2019-09 | 12.8 | 14.1 |
| 2019-10 | 17.2 | 14.0 |
| 2019-11 | 8.5 | 11.5 |
| 2019-12 | 10.2 | 8.4 |
| 2020-01 | 10.3 | 7.9 |
| 2020-02 | 15.9 | 11.7 |
| 2020-03 | 7.5 | 18.4 |
| 2020-04 | -21.9 | 6.1 |
graphiqueActivity tendency in building construction
- Source : INSEE
Customers’ payment period get longer, the cash-flow position is judged deteriorated
In April 2020, more business managers than in January have reported a lengthening of payment periods from their clients. The corresponding balance has sharply increased and has reached his highest level since April 2015.
That goes hand in hand with a degradation in their cash-flow position: the corresponding balance has fallen at his lowest level since the beginning of the series (1987).
For further information
A balance of opinion is calculated as the difference between the percentage of “increase” responses and the percentage of “decrease” responses.
Additional information (simplified and detailed methodology, nomenclature, etc.) is available on the “Documentation” tab of the web page of this publication.
Next issue: 26 May 2020 at 8:45 am
Pour en savoir plus
A balance of opinion is calculated as the difference between the percentage of “increase” responses and the percentage of “decrease” responses.
Additional information (simplified and detailed methodology, nomenclature, etc.) is available on the “Documentation” tab of the web page of this publication.
Next issue: 26 May 2020 at 8:45 am
