In the past ten years the level of employment in the Lillebonne zone has increased by 500 jobs. Increases in tertiary activities (2,300 jobs created in commerce, transport, service provision, health, administration) have more than compensated for the decline in agricultural employment and the downwards trend in industrial employment. One industrial job in every six has disappeared during the 90's, a total of 1,300 positions. Every one of the sectors in the zone has been affected with the exception of semi-finished products, which have maintained the levels of employment.
Local industry created a hundred jobs in 2000. As in most other heavily industrialised zones in the region, the employment situation is heavily dependent on large companies, a dependence exacerbated by the fact that many of these have their headquarters outside the zone. Industrial infrastructure is being renewed slowly. With a business start-up rate of 5.5% (compared with 6.1% at regional level), the zone appears a little lacking in dynamism in terms of generating new businesses.
The major projects on the Port-Jérôme site will provide a second wind in terms of employment and also in terms of complementary activities.
The next big initiatives in the zone are: Exxonmobil's PJ21 Project for processing oil; Air Liquide's construction of a plant for hydrogen production; Ecostu'air / Sevede's construction of an incineration plant for household waste; the closure of chemicals production.

Updated : October 2002