Picardy Economy

In the last decade, the economy of the French region Picardy has known a general increase.

Picardy economy is linked to its geographical situation, the source of its weaknesses and its strengths.

Located in between Paris region and Lille agglomeration, Picardy hesitates between its natural role of being a crossroads of commercial exchanges and being an attraction center for major activities.

Often considered merely as an agricultural region, Picardy has in fact developed for a long time an efficient industry: textile, metal, chemical industry, car manufacturing, food-industry or aeronautics.

Ranked last in 2007, Picardy now has to turn its weaknesses into strengths to be able to take part in the Paris-Brussels-London triangle.

Nevertheless some branches of the regions economy (such as industry, property building or tourism) have had problems with providing new jobs or even with keeping pre-existing employment.

But on the whole, the general economic trend of the Picardy region is quite similar to the economic situation of France.

Picardy has an unemployment rate of 8.3%.

This region also offer financial and physical support for people in need such as elderly people, disabled people, unemployed people...

• www.insee.fr/fr/regions/picardie/default.asp?page=conjoncture/conjoncture.htm
• www.cr-picardie.fr