Enterprises born in 2006: a lower survival rate in the construction industry

France recorded 286,000 enterprise births in 2006. Five years later, one in two were still active, and their workforce had decreased 22%. Because of the economic crisis that began in 2008, the odds of survival are slightly lower than for the cohort of enterprises born in 2002. The firms least likely to be still alive five years later are those in the wholesale/retail sector (45%) and construction (47%). The highest survival rates are in the transport sector (61%) and business-support services (58%). In terms of jobs, the crisis had a particularly severe impact on the construction industry, which shed 35% of its workforce in five years. The main determinants of survival remain the same as for the 2002 cohort. Incorporated enterprises are more likely to survive than unincorporated ones, and new transport businesses are more resilient than new wholesale/retail and construction enterprises. Initial investment size and educational attainment-particularly a technical diploma or degree-are all the more likely to ensure success for new entrepreneurs.