FDI (excluding retail) from North America into France declined between January 2012 and December 2014, according to data from greenfield investment monitor fDi Markets. The number of projects recorded fell from 114 in 2012 to 108 in 2013 and 83 in 2014, the lowest recorded number of projects since 2004. Jobs and capital expenditure showed an increase of 45.05% and 35.57%, respectively between 2012 and 2013, but these figures fell sharply in 2014, with the number of new jobs created declining by 48.91% from 8014 to 4909 and capital expenditure also falling from $2.74bn to $2.2bn.

Paris received the highest number of FDI projects in the period: 133. The city recorded a 8.7% decrease in investment between 2013 and 2014. The largest investor by project numbers was US-based Salesforce, which accounted for $146.8m of investment and created 169 jobs. Despite being the largest investor between 2012 and 2014, the company has not yet made any investments during 2015.

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Data recorded for the first quarter of 2015 suggests that the decline in flows looks set to continue. Capital expenditure and job creation during the quarter compared with the same period in 2014 show a significant decrease of 76.67% and 64.51%, respectively, and there is also a decline in project numbers. 

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