The S&P Global France Services PMI fell to 48.4 in August 2026 from 49.6 in July, signaling a faster contraction in services activity, preliminary estimates showed. The reading also defied market expectations for the contraction to ease to 49.8. The downturn was accompanied by further workforce cutbacks, contrasting with the fastest pace of factory job creation in a year. Cost pressures increased at a faster pace among service providers, while selling prices rose at the fastest rate since May. Service companies also cleared backlogs of work at a faster pace in August. Business confidence weakened, with optimism toward the year-ahead outlook falling to its lowest level since May amid uncertainty surrounding the international landscape and domestic political situation.