Manufacturing output 0.6 percent up in January

Output growth in almost half of the industries

In January, almost half of the industries saw their output grow on an annual basis. Of the industries within manufacturing, the machinery industry recorded the strongest output growth. 

Manufacturing output recovers further

A more accurate picture of short-term output developments is obtained when figures are adjusted for seasonal effects and the working-day pattern. After adjustments, an increase of 2.4 percent is seen in manufacturing output between December 2020 and January 2021. 

Adjusted for seasonal and working-day effects, manufacturing output is seen to fluctuate significantly. From mid-2014 until the beginning of 2018, the overall trend was upward. Subsequently, the trend has been downward. A low point was reached in May 2020. After that, output picked up again; in January, it was back at around the same level as before the coronavirus crisis.

Producer confidence slightly lower in February

In February 2021, the mood among Dutch manufacturers deteriorated slightly. Manufacturers were less positive about their future output and their stocks of finished products.

Germany is an important foreign market for the Dutch manufacturing industry. According to the Business Climate Index of the IFO Institute, producer confidence improved in February 2021. This is due to both more optimistic future output expectations and more optimistic opinions on the current situation. In January, the average daily output generated by the German industry contracted by over 3 percent year-on-year, as reported by Destatis.