France’s main problem: The education system
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), carried out in 2019, has been published in late 2020. It is based on a survey carried out in 58 countries on children from grades four (nine year olds) to eight (13 year olds) on competencies in maths and the sciences (physics, chemistry, natural sciences, etc.). The result is catastrophic for France, which scored last or second-to-last in all categories. This is worse than in the PISA survey on the humanities and information technology. For France, this raises the prospect of a gradual deterioration in the employability and skills of the labour force, especially given the huge need for scientific skills; increases in structural unemployment and in youth unemployment; and continued deindustrialization.