section_path: Impact by region or country/Europe/France
section_name: France
paragraph_text: France
  
  France has been hit hard by the pandemic, with two months of 'strict lockdown' imposed before mid-year. On 8 April 2020, the Bank of France declared that the French economy was in recession, shrinking by 6 percent in the first quarter of 2020.
  
  At the end of the second trimester of 2020, several companies began staff cuts: Nokia (1233 jobs), Renault (4600 jobs), Air France (7580 jobs), Airbus (5000 jobs), Derichebourg (700 jobs), TUI France (583 jobs) and NextRadio TV (330–380 jobs).