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A major first in the confidential and fragmented world of luxury crafts<\/strong>, the Institut pour les savoir-faire fran\u00e7ais<\/strong> has carried out a nationwide study of French crafts<\/strong>. The study was carried out in collaboration with <\/strong>the French luxury goods representative body, the Comit\u00e9 Colbert, the French Ministry of Culture, the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation and Terre & Fils,<\/strong> with technical support from Xerfi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Les \u00c9claireurs’study<\/strong> “Measuring the economic weight of companies in the crafts and exceptional know-how<\/strong> \u201d identified 234,000 companies in this sector, representing 500,000 active professionals in France<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With sales of 68 billion euros<\/strong>, this sector is a major contributor to the national economy, even surpassing the pharmaceutical sector<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n French crafts and exceptional skills<\/strong> – key partners of the major French luxury brands – represent half a million workers, including 280,000 salaried employees<\/strong>. They are the backbone of 198 recognized crafts and 83<\/strong> listed specialties<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Until now<\/strong>, however, the absence of reliable data has severely hampered the visibility of these trades, while professionals have struggled to convince potential investors.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Les \u00c9claireurs’ study \u201cMesurer le poids \u00e9conomique des entreprises des m\u00e9tiers d’art et savoir-faire d’exception\u201d lifts<\/strong> the veil on an exceptional craft industry<\/strong>, which appears to be a major yet little-known contributor to the national economy.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n These \u201cm\u00e9tiers d’art et savoir-faire d’exception\u201d are defined as production, creation or heritage restoration activities<\/strong>, whose core business is the mastery of gestures and techniques enabling the transformation of materials<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the purposes of the survey, two types of company were identified<\/strong>: those in which the craft is at the heart of the activity<\/strong>, and which remain the largest source of employment<\/strong> (165,000 employees), and those in which the craft is above all a value-added activity<\/strong>. The latter have a greater economic weight<\/strong> (36 billion euros in sales) than companies whose craft is at the heart of their activity, but also represent the country’s main economic fabric<\/strong>, with a network of 119,300 companies.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More than half of these companies (53.5%) are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a strong presence of micro-businesses<\/strong> (i.e. structures with fewer than 10 employees). Very large companies account for just 4.9%.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While most of these companies are engaged in manufacturing activities (27%)<\/strong>, they are not the only providers of jobs. Indeed, 18.5%<\/strong> operate in the performing arts and recreation<\/strong> sector, and 11.5%<\/strong> in construction and building<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \t\tA wide variety of companies<\/h2>\n
An economic powerhouse in the regions<\/h2>\n