According to a report by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Research (INSEE) published at the end of February 2026, the French automotive industry lost a third of its workforce from 2010 to 2023, IT Home reports.
The INSEE study is the first to comprehensively analyze the situation across all related sectors, painting a grim picture of deindustrialization. The total number of workers employed in vehicle production, components and suppliers fell by 32%. Compared to the stability of the rest of the economy, where employment fell by only 1%, this looks especially depressing.
The main blow fell on manufacturers of finished cars – they cut 46 thousand jobs. The key factors were a drop in sales (including due to competition with Chinese brands) and a massive transfer of production abroad.
Giants such as Renault and Stellantis (owner of Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, etc.) are actively curtailing their capacities at home, transferring assembly to Eastern European countries with cheaper labor: Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Portugal.
The INSEE study documents not just temporary difficulties, but a systemic shift. There are no signs of recovery yet: negative trends have only accelerated since 2023. Factory closures and production relocations continue, calling into question the future of an entire industry.
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