PARIS (Reuters), – France’s economy will grow slightly less than 0.75% this quarter as companies deal with a more uncertain economic situation. The central bank stated Tuesday.

France’s fifth COVID-19 wave is underway. This outlook was slightly lower than that of last month, when the Bank of France predicted 0.75 percent growth for the third quarter.

Jean Castex, Prime Minister of Canada, stated Monday night that clubs will be closed in advance of Christmas. Social distancing measures would also be tightened. However, a new lockdown was not possible because almost 90% of those who are eligible have been vaccinated.

The central bank based its findings from a monthly survey of 8500 companies on how they perceive the market. It found that businesses expect better business conditions in the service and industrial sector, while construction activity remains stable.

The dominant sector of service led staffing issues to worsen slightly, with 51% reporting difficulty finding enough employees in the November 26-Dec 3 survey. This is after 49% reported in October.

The supply chain issues in the industrial sector also worsened, increasing to 57%, from 56%, in October. Car industry was the worst affected. However, construction supply problems declined to 56% from 58%.

In this context, the central banking estimated that the economy’s activity was at 0.75% higher than pre-crisis.