French Construction Slump Worsens in December 2025

03:43 AM EST, 01/07/2026 (MT Newswires) -- France's construction sector tumbled deeper into the contraction zone in December 2025, as new orders dropped at a steep and accelerated rate, causing reductions in employment and purchasing volumes, S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank said Wednesday. The HCOB France Construction PMI Total Activity Index slipped to 43.4 in December 2025 from 43.6 previously, extending the sector's decline to over 3.5 years.