Economic growth in 2008 was considerably down on 2007, at 0.7% versus 2.2%. Declining consumer confidence and the deteriorating economic climate depressed household demand for services. The knock-on effect of this is a fall in employment and therefore a decline in demand for office space. Generally speaking, the take-up of office space in the Paris region remained healthy in 2008, driven mainly by the desire on the part of many tenants to reduce their accommodation costs and search for suitable office space particularly on the ring road around Paris.