The young centrist’s popularity slumped to a new low on Thursday, following the resignation of his popular ecology minister and a summer scandal involving his bodyguard.
“The coming semester will not be any easier or any quieter than the previous one,” Mr Macron told a cabinet meeting, as he instructed his ministers to “continue the great transformations we have started despite the many challenges ahead of us”.
He said: “Concrete transformations are to be carried out – safe in the knowledge that our efforts these past 15 months need time to bear fruit. We cannot simply give people more money or immediately resolve problems that have remained unresolved for decades.
“We need to hold on, explain and forcefully commit ourselves to waging this [reform] battle.”
Mr Macron is fighting to save his political reputation following a summer of setbacks.
In July, his leadership was put to the test after a video emerged showing his top bodyguard beating up two May Day protesters while off duty and wearing police tags.
He dealt with another blow last week after his ecology minister Nicolas Hulot, a popular green activist and TV presenter, resigned during a live radio interview.
But while his government has repeatedly dismissed poll ratings, a YouGov survey published on Thursday showed that his popularity is on a steady downwards slope.
Only 23 per cent of respondents said they approved of Mr Macron’s actions as president, down from 27 per cent last month, the poll for Le Huff Post and CNews found.
This is Mr Macron’s “weakest score” since his election in May 2017, according to YouGov pollsters.
An Ifop poll published on Tuesday showed that just 31 per cent of respondents were happy with his performance, down 10 percentage points in one month.
The support of Mr Macron’s team, however, has not dropped.
“I think the French are discovering – and in my opinion this is something which they find reassuring – a president who likes to get his hands dirty,” government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux told RTL radio on Wednesday.
A description that stands in stark contrast to Mr Macron’s pledge to be a top-down, “Jupiterian” president.
The young president, for his part, is determined to pursue his reforms and not be seen to react to the latest poll numbers.
Next up for his centrist government is tackling welfare spending, as weaker-than-forecast growth puts pressure on the budget deficit.
The YouGov poll was carried out between August 29 and August 30 with a sample of 1,099 people.