Schweißer symbolisiert die Entwicklung der Produktion im produzierenden Gewerbe

© iStock.com/Tony Tremblay

According to the German Federal Statistical Office1, output in the manufacturing sector fell noticeably by 1.5% in June compared with the previous month, after remaining nearly unchanged in May (-0.1%).2 In industry and construction, output recently decreased by 1.3% and 2.8% respectively. The energy sector stabilised in June (+0.6%), following sharp declines in the previous two months.

In the two important industrial sectors of vehicles and vehicle parts and mechanical engineering, production in June decreased by 3.5% and 1.3% respectively. Following the declines seen in previous months, the particularly energy-intensive industrial sectors recorded an overall increase of 1.1%, with growth in chemical products (+3.5%) and coking and oil processing (+15.3%) being offset by decreases in metal production and processing (-3.1%), paper and cardboard (-2.3%) and glass, glassware and ceramics (-0.7%).

Industrial output saw weak development at the end of the second quarter, following increases in April and May. Quarter-on-quarter, the decline was 0.6%. The particularly energy-intensive industries recorded a significant decline of 3.4%. Despite the recent recovery in demand, the outlook for industry remains gloomy due to the fluctuations in large orders. In view of the subdued business and export expectations of companies, a noticeable recovery is currently not in sight.

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1 Press release by the Federal Statistical Office of 7 August 2023.

2 All figures are based on provisional data and have been adjusted for price, calendar day and seasonal factors (X13 JDemetra+ procedure).