Economy of Aisne
Aisne is a department whose economy accumulates the delays and the handicaps. In 2006, its GDP is of 18018 euros per capita compared with 24059 in the worldwide. Its Unemployment rate is of 11,8% compared with 8,8% for the national average.
That is due to an old economic fabric in crisis. Nearly 20% of employment in Aisne are in industry, very often an industry of intermediate goods in difficulties: subcontractors of auto industry, metallurgy, packing… Within the framework of a mondialized economy, the structures of intermediate size were repurchased by great groups which then carry out dismissals and factory shutdowns. In order to revival a more technological industry, AIsne profits from certification " Pole of competitiveness " for two sectors: " Industries and Agro-ressources" and " I-Trans".
The other important economic sector is agriculture closely related to industries Agro-alimentaire S. It acts of an intensive agriculture practiced on large surfaces (82 ha on average). Aisne is the first producing sugar beet department, the 2nd corn producer and the 3rd potato producer. But Aisne counts also an agriculture of labellized quality: the south of the department is included/understood in AOC Champagne and the Thiérache, in north) belonged to AOC Maroilles.
Finally the Tertiary sector is represented by the activities of trade, Logistique and the noncommercial tertiary sector.