Manufacturing output over 7 percent up in March

Output growth in almost half of the industries

In March, almost half of all manufacturing industries saw their output increase on an annual basis. With over 35 percent, the machinery industry again achieved the highest growth among the larger industries. In the transport equipment industry, however, output contracted again by approximately 10 percent.

Manufacturing output at high level

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, a decrease of 0.2 percent is seen in manufacturing output between February and March.

Adjusted for seasonal and working-day effects, manufacturing output is seen to fluctuate significantly. In the spring of 2020, output declined rapidly and a low point was reached in May 2020. After that, output picked up again. In March 2022, however, it contracted for the third month in a row. Nevertheless, production remained at a relatively high level.

Producer confidence improved in April

In April 2022, the mood among Dutch manufacturers improved and was well above the long-term average. Manufacturers were mainly more positive about their future output.

Germany is an important foreign market for the Dutch manufacturing industry. In April, German producer confidence according to the Business Climate Index of the IFO Institute climbed again after the plunge it took in the previous month. Manufacturers were somewhat less pessimistic about the coming months but they were slightly less satisfied with their current situations. In March, the average daily output generated by the German manufacturing industry fell by 4.0 percent year on year, as reported by Destatis.