More than half of French people and three quarters of engineers demand more support for industry

Nearly 53% of French people and 75% of engineers believe that public authorities do not provide sufficient support to the industrial sector, according to a study published a few days ago by the Society of Arts and Crafts Engineers, in partnership with Ifop.

A feeling "accentuated by the difficulties of accessing public aid and targeted funding for the ecological and digital transition", according to the study, carried out at the initiative of the association of former students of the Ecole nationale supérieure des arts et métiers (Ensam).

The study is based on an online survey, which collected responses from 2.234 engineers, students and recent graduates from Ensam, as well as another from Ifop among 1.000 French people, carried out between September and October.

While it welcomes "the proactive approach of public authorities" in recent years, which "is beginning to bear fruit", despite the deterioration in the economic situation in recent months, the study highlights some "major challenges" which remain to be addressed.

The first lies in competitiveness in relation to international competition, cited by more than half of the engineers surveyed (52,4%), followed by questions of recruitment and training (43%), decarbonization of production processes (39,6%), innovation (38,1%) and image (29,2%).

Competitiveness issues include "cost control, process optimization, and digitalization," the study states, according to which professionals "consider that constant efforts are necessary to stay at the level of international competition."

Regarding workforce issues, it is not so much the quality, which satisfies 66% of respondents, as its availability that raises questions, regarding "skills adapted to the technological and environmental transformations underway" (artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, automation).

Regarding the strengths of the sector, the quality of the logistics infrastructure, the startup ecosystem, the quality of research and the presence of large companies are highlighted.

Conversely, access to financing and land, taxation and the cost of labor are identified as the main weaknesses of the sector, along with the cost of energy and regulatory constraints.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.