Burgundy–Franche-Comté, a region in eastern France known for manufacturing as well as wine country, lost 6,160 private-sector jobs over the past year—an employment drop four times steeper than the national average, according to figures cited by Le Progrès.
The pullback was already visible in the third quarter of 2025, when the region shed 980 permanent private-sector positions in just three months. That count covers standard French employment contracts—open-ended (CDI), fixed-term (CDD), and apprenticeship-style “alternance” contracts—excluding temporary agency work.
Nationally, France recorded a 0.1% decline over the same 12-month period, or 12,560 private-sector jobs, the report said.
Industry and construction take the hit, while one department posts gains
Industry and construction accounted for most of the losses across the region. The only sector that held up at the regional level was services.
Just one of the region’s eight departments showed net growth: Saône-et-Loire, which added 130 permanent jobs—driven specifically by local industry and construction. The other seven departments posted declines, some of them significant.
Micro-entrepreneurs emerge as a local safety net
As salaried employment retreats, small-scale self-employment has become a key shock absorber—less about venture-backed startups and more about small restaurants, trades, in-home services, and village retail.
“That’s the real face of entrepreneurship in France. Two entrepreneurs out of three, even three out of four, create their own sole proprietorship,” said Angèle Mignonac, the regional director of Adie in Burgundy–Franche-Comté. Adie is a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurship, including through microfinance.
Adie’s impact figures point to durability: 80% of businesses created with its support are still operating two to three years after launch, and 95% of beneficiaries are professionally integrated—whether self-employed, salaried, or retired. Notably, 31% of supported entrepreneurs said they would have had to leave their area to find work without starting their business, suggesting sole proprietorships are helping keep workers in places where traditional job openings have thinned.
Mignonac also flagged a persistent paradox: local governments remain strongly drawn to innovative projects and startups, even if “the discourse is coming back a bit toward individual entrepreneurship.” The staying power of these microbusinesses, she said, depends on access to financing and a support ecosystem that isn’t available everywhere.
Exports and foreign investment offer a second wind
The region is also leaning on international activity to offset the fragility of its industrial base. That strategy was highlighted at the first regional “Assises de l’International,” held December 2 in Dijon.
One concrete example: Spanish food company Vicky Foods setting up in Chalon-sur-Saône. Its CEO, Rafael Juan, cited “logistical proximity and quality of life” as decisive factors in choosing the location.
In 2024, other foreign players expanded their footprint as well, including Antolin, a Spanish automotive equipment group, and C3E, a Quebec-based investment organization focused on energy efficiency, which signed a cooperation agreement with the regional economic development agency.
More employers say they plan to hire in 2026
The most encouraging signal comes from hiring intentions. In Burgundy–Franche-Comté, 23% of establishments said they plan to recruit in 2026, up from 22.3% in 2025, according to Le Progrès.
Services, industry, and the agri-food sector are among the areas anticipating staffing needs.
The result is a region with two faces: a productive economy under strain as its industrial base continues to shrink, and a local fabric that holds up from the ground level—supported by micro-entrepreneurs and foreign companies choosing the region for reasons other than the size of its market.
