Business activity growth in the French service sector continued at the end of the third quarter, but eased for the second time in as many months amid a slower rise in new orders. Weaker client demand led to a softer round of job creation, while business confidence dipped to a five-month low. Contrary to these trends, backlogs of unfinished work accumulated at a sharper pace.

The headline seasonally adjusted Business Activity Index posted 56.9 in March. Down from February's reading of 57.4, the latest index reading highlighted the weakest rate of expansion in seven months, but one that remained markedly higher than the long-run series average.