This Nation SME strategy is intended to give particular support to this segment of companies, which will also benefit from the measures that will be announced when the Productive Pact will be unveiled. Particularly exposed to global competition and manufacturing mainly in France, the SMEs are the first to benefit from the measures to restore the competitiveness in France.

“We have sometimes forgotten about the SMEs” acknowledges the French President Emmanuel Macron after mentioning the influence of the major CAC 40 groups, the success of French start-ups and the French-Techs (ranked number one in Europe), and the measures undertaken in the framework of the Pact law for SMEs. “When we compare ourselves, we can see that it is indeed a potential French weakness not to put enough emphasis on these SMEs,” pointed out Emmanuel Macron. He did not fail to point out that the strength of the German model is based on the “Mittelstand”, a network of SMEs that are both very attached to their territories and that have international exposure. The figures speak for themselves: there are 12,000 SME in Germany and only 5,400 in France, employing a total of 3 million people, 36% of whom working in the manufacturing industry.

“I hope that the SMEs will be given their rightful place once again at the heart of our strategy… in particular within the framework of the Productive Pact that we are preparing for the spring“, assured the President, who has already announced 15 measures designed to meet their specific challenges.

The SMEs, champions of the regional territories

Mid-sized companies are a real strategic asset for the French economy. Although relatively few in number – 5,400 in 2017 – they contribute strongly to the dynamism of the French economy, to the regional development and to the outreach of “producing in France” internationally.

• SMEs are creating employment: they employ more than 25% of the workforce and are a major contributor to job creation. Between 2009 and 2015, they have created approximately 337,500 net jobs¹
• SMEs are innovating: 23% of private R&D expenditure is carried out by SMEs, of which around 60% is in medium and high technology ²
• SMEs are investing: they account for 30% of private investments
• SMEs are exporting but remain anchored in the territories: they generate over 34% of their turnover from exports ³ ;

About the 500 champions of the French territoires ⁴

• they represent a total turnover of €170 billion and 920,000 jobs, of which 550,000 are located in France
• they have created nearly 50,000 net jobs in France in 2018
• they are well established in the region: 20,000 locations in France, 80% of which are outside the Ile-de-France region (Paris area). They are planning to create 1,700 sites in France by 2022.
• they invest in human capital: 1 out of 6 SMEs has set up a training allowance (CFA) and devotes 2.6% of the payroll to training; nearly half of the ETIs offer an employee savings scheme
• SME stands for committed and inclusive companies with 86% of champions having a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy. Of these, 62% would like to strengthen their commitment in the years to come, notably through actions carried out under the “France, a Chance. Committed businesses” programme.
• they have a strong regional involvement: 64% give priority to regional initiatives.

¹ INSEE 2017 https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3152833

² État de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/pid24804/etat-de-l-enseignement-superieur-et-de-la-recherche.html

³ Tableaux de l’économie française https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3696937

⁴ Étude METI / MAWENZI PARTNERS 2020