Industry - April 2021

In April, industrial production increased in real terms by 55.1%, year-on-year (y-o-y). In the month-on-month (m-o-m) comparison, it was by 1.9% higher. The value of new orders increased by 90.0%, y-o-y.

Industrial production¹ in April 2021 was in real terms by 1.9% higher, m-o-m. In the year-on-year comparison, it increased by 55.1%. The following economic activities contributed the most to the y-o-y increase of industrial production: manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (contribution +25.3 percentage points (p. p.), growth by 446.5%), manufacture of rubber and plastic products (contribution +5.7 p. p., growth by 101.8%), and manufacture of electrical equipment (contribution +4.6 p. p., increase by 64.0%). Industrial production decreased in manufacture of wearing apparel only (contribution −0.02 p. p., decrease by 2.5%).

“Due to the last year's lockdown, the April growth of industrial production almost reached a historic high, when it increased by 55%, year-on-year. The Czech industry is firing on all four cylinders and its production is getting close to the level from the year 2019, i.e. its maximum up to now,” Radek Matějka, Director of the Agricultural and Forestry, Industrial, Construction, and Energy Statistics Department, says.

“For manufacturing in total, April 2021 is even the strongest month ever. Some economic activities (industries) were functioning more or less without restrictions even during the epidemic; however, growth rates of the most affected ones are truly extraordinary in the time series. The car industry is operating at full capacity even despite the lack of some components worldwide and therefore the related industries are successful, too,” Veronika Doležalová, Head of Industrial Statistics Unit, says.

Sales from industrial activity at current prices¹ increased by 63.5%, y-o-y, in April 2021. Direct export sales of industrial enterprises increased at current prices by 87.5%. Domestic sales, which also include indirect export via non-industrial enterprises, increased at current prices by 38.4%. 

The value of new orders¹ in surveyed industrial CZ-NACE activities increased by 90.0%, y-o-y, in April 2021. Non-domestic new orders increased by 98.6%, while domestic new orders increased by 74.0%. The year-on-year increase of new orders in total was contributed to by the following CZ-NACE divisions: manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (contribution +55.6 p. p., increase by 363.6%), manufacture of electrical equipment (contribution +8.5 p. p., growth by 76.0%), and manufacture of fabricated metal products (contribution +6.4 p. p., growth by 39.4%). New orders decreased in manufacture of wearing apparel only (contribution −0.05 p. p., decrease by 5.0%).

The average registered number of employees² in industry decreased by 2.0%, y-o-y, in April 2021. Their average gross monthly nominal wage increased by 11.3%, y-o-y, in April 2021. The growth of the average wage was influenced by a low comparison basis, too.

According to data released by Eurostat, industrial production in the EU27 in March 2021 increased by 11.0%, y-o-y. Czech industrial production increased by 14.1%. The biggest year-on-year increase was reported by Italy and Slovakia; German industry increased by 5.5%. Contrarily, production of industry of Malta decreased by 2.8%, y-o-y. According to a preliminary release calendar, Eurostat will release data for April 2021 on 14 June 2021.

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Notes:
¹ The year-on-year development of all indicators is adjusted for working days unless otherwise stated. Month-on-month or quarter-on-quarter rates are also seasonally adjusted. Contributions to an increase or to a decrease are calculated from data that are adjusted for working days. April 2021 had the same number of working days as April 2020. 
² Indicators related to employment in industry apply to the whole population of enterprises the principal (prevailing) activity of which is industry. The indicator of the registered number of employees does not include persons working under various contracts for work (an agreement on work performance and an agreement on work activity), working owners of enterprises, and contributing family workers (cooperating household members) who do not have contracts of employment. The piece of data on the registered number of employees in industry also excludes agency workers who have contracts of employment within economic activities of services (CZ-NACE 78.2).
In accordance with the CZSO revision policy, concurrently with processing of data for April 2021, data for January through March 2021 have been revised.

Responsible head at the CZSO: Radek Matějka, Director of the Agricultural and Forestry, Industrial, Construction, and Energy Statistics Department, phone number: (+420) 736 168 543, e-mail: radek.matejka@csu.gov.cz
Contact person: Veronika Doležalová, Head of Industrial Statistics Unit, phone number (+420) 734 352 291, e-mail: veronika.dolezalova@csu.gov.cz
Method of data acquisition: direct survey of the CZSO (Prům 1–12)
End of data collection: 31 May 2021
Related outputs: time series https://csu.gov.cz/produkty/pru_ts
Next News Release will be published on: 7 July 2021