Having softened in the previous two months, private sector growth accelerated at the start of the second quarter.
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Indeed, at 56.9, up from 56.3 in March, the IHS Markit Flash France Composite Output Index continued to signal an above-trend rate of expansion.
The acceleration in overall growth was indicative of sharper rates of expansion in both the manufacturing and services sectors.
The rate of increase in the latter continued to outstrip the former, but both remained marked and above their respective long-run averages nonetheless.
Underpinning output growth was a further rise in new orders, the twenty-second in as many months.
The rate of increase quickened from March, albeit only fractionally, and remained above the long-run series average.
A sharper rise in new work at service providers contrasted with a moderation at their goods-producing counterparts.
Buoyed by strong client demand, French private sector firms took on additional workers in April, thereby extending the current period of job creation to a year-and-a-half.
Moreover, the rate of employment growth quickened from March and was marked overall.
In spite of further improvements to operating capacity, the amount of unfinished work at French private sector companies continued to rise in April.
The rate of backlog accumulation eased to an eight-month low, but remained marked nonetheless.
The slowdown was driven by the service sector, whereas an acceleration in backlog growth was evident at manufacturers.
Input prices faced by private sector firms in France increased in April, thereby continuing a trend that has been observed since March 2016.
Anecdotal evidence suggested that salary increases as well as a general rise in raw material prices were the principal drivers of the latest overall inflation.
As has been the case since October 2016, the rate of inflation was sharper in the manufacturing sector.
In line with higher input costs, private sector firms raised their average selling prices in April, extending the current period of increase to eight months.
The rate of increase softened fractionally from March but remained broadly in line with the average for this sequence.
Manufacturers continued to record a sharper rate of charge inflation than their service sector counterparts.
Finally, French private sector firms maintained an optimistic outlook at the start of the second quarter.
The degree of positive sentiment dipped slightly from March, but remained marked overall.
Service sector firms overtook their manufacturing counterparts as being the more confident. ■