Development of new manufacturing orders in April 2023

According to the Federal Statistical Office1,new orders fell slightly by 0.4% in April compared with the previous month. Following the sharp downturn in March (-10.9%), there is still no sign of a recovery in orders. However, the month-on-month comparison is currently very much influenced by fluctuations in large orders; excluding large orders, the increase in April was 1.4%.

Domestic orders in particular have increased recently (+1.6%), but they were unable to offset the decline in demand from abroad (-1.8%). Orders from the eurozone in particular declined (-2.7%).

However, the trend was not downward in all sectors of the economy. The important sectors of
motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts saw in increase in output (+2.4%), and there was also a slight increase in the manufacture of chemical products (+0.7%). By contrast, output declined in the pharmaceutical products sector (-5.9%) and the important sector of mechanical engineering (-6.2%).

Following the sharp drop in March, new orders were weak across the board at the beginning of the second quarter. Germany’s export-oriented economy is particularly affected by the continued weak performance of the global economy and the decline in orders from the eurozone. Domestic demand, however, is comparatively stable. Also, the volume of orders on the books is still at a comparatively high level. Overall, however, given the weak trend in new orders, this will not yet provide short-term stimuli for industrial growth.

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¹ Press release by the Federal Statistical Office of 6 June 2023.