In the post-Covid era, more and more French people are choosing crafts, in line with their lifestyles, as shown by the “craft barometer”, produced by the Institut Supérieur des Métiers (ISM) with the support of the MAAF.
«I wanted to do manual, concrete, and above all sensible worksays Jessica. This mother, who previously worked in digital, wanted “leave something». «I have always been drawn to craftsmanship. So I thought, if I’m not doing it for myself, why not do it for my daughter?“. This attraction for craft trades is reflected in the growing number of companies created in these fields, according to a study published in the “handicraft barometer», carried out by the Institut Supérieur des Métiers, with the support of the MAAF.
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«In 2021, the number of craft business creations reached a record in France: nearly 250,000 craft businesses were created in France, an increase of 13% compared to 2019.according to the MAAF. Figures confirmed by La Bonne Graine – École d’Ameublement de Paris, which has also recorded a stronger interest in crafts since the end of the pandemic. “The COVID has been a real accelerator, even a revealing element for young people as to their vocation. We have 30% more staff in apprenticeshipn explains Lucie Teneur, manager of retraining courses. “State aid probably also played its part in this increase.“, she adds.
«For me, the Covid has valued local crafts. I also noticed a new consumer trend“, adds Jessica. This desire to be an actor favoring a new mode of consumption could be one of the keys to explaining these impressive figures. Thomas Cecini, deputy regional director of economic and territorial development at the Chamber of Trades and Crafts (CMA) in Île-de-France, nevertheless tempers the “romantic side of COVID, a trigger for awareness». And “the health crisis and the successive confinements have led many French people […] to make the choice to reorient themselves towards professions of passion» as the «handicraft barometer“, the fact remains that such a retraining generally presupposes having “a spouse who provides on the side“, emphasizes Thomas Cecini. Jessica had put money aside to finance her conversion; however, the employment of his partner, an executive at the time, offered some security.
Finally, if the creation of craft businesses has jumped by 23% in rural areas according to the “handicraft barometer” of the ISM, Thomas Cecini wishes to recall the different realities according to the territories: in Ile-de-France (IdF), region with nearly 275,000 craft businesses, “ the figure is globally stable, even if we note an upward trend in rural employment areas, with 17% of new registrations in these territories compared to 15% for the whole of the IdF region“. For example, Jessica started her business in a garage in the suburbs of Paris, near Sèvres, to soon pack up in the direction of Nantes to continue her business. “I feel in line with my valuesconcludes Jessica. A key criterion now for the French on the job market, who are looking for jobs with meaning.