Industry - April 2024

Industrial production decreased in real terms by 0.4%, year-on-year (y-o-y), in April. In the month-on-month (m-o-m) comparison, it was by 0.6% higher. The value of new orders increased by 3.6%, y-o-y.

Industrial production in April 2024 was in real terms by 0.6% higher, m-o-m. In the year-on-year comparison, it decreased by 0.4%. “Industrial production slightly decreased in April. The total decrease was mainly affected by a lower production in the energy sector and an ongoing decrease in manufacture of machinery and equipment and in manufacture of basic metals,” Radek Matějka, Director of the Agricultural and Forestry, Industrial, Construction, and Energy Statistics Department of the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), says. Production in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply decreased by a tenth, year-on-year. The decrease was influenced the most by planned shutdowns in power plants, by lower consumption of gas caused by warm weather, and by an ongoing decrease in production in coal power plants. Coal mining decreased by over a fifth, y-o-y. On the other hand, the following economic activities (industries) were successful: manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products, repair and installation of machinery and equipment, and other manufacturing. In manufacture of other transport equipment, production increased by almost a third, y-o-y.

The value of new orders at current prices in surveyed industrial CZ-NACE activities increased by 3.6%, y-o-y, in April 2024. Non-domestic new orders increased by 5.3%, y-o-y; domestic new orders increased by 0.8%. The value of new orders decreased, month-on-month, by 0.8%. “The increase of the value of new orders was influenced the most by manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers; there was a higher increase of non-domestic orders, year-on-year, there. Enterprises in manufacture of other transport equipment obtained large or long-term orders,” Veronika Doležalová, Head of the Industrial Statistics Unit of the CZSO, says. By almost a fifth lower, year-on-year, was the value of new orders in manufacture of basic metals.

The average registered number of employees in industry decreased by 1.9%, y-o-y, in April 2024.

According to data released by Eurostat, industrial production in the EU27 decreased by 1%, year-on-year, in March 2024. The biggest year-on-year decrease was recorded by Finland (by 7.7%) and Bulgaria (by 7.6%). German industry decreased by 4.3%; performance of Czech industry decreased by 2.9%. On the other hand, the following increased the most: Irish industry (by 37%) and the industry of Cyprus (by 8.5%). As for economic activities of industry, manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations decreased the most in the EU27 (by 17.2%) and the highest growth was recorded by manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products (by 35.2%). According to a preliminary release calendar, Eurostat will release data for April 2024 on 13 June 2024. 

__________________
Notes:
April 2024 had three working days more than April 2023. In compliance with the CZSO’s Data revision policy, concurrently with processing of data for April 2024, data for January through March 2024 and for the year 2023 have been revised.
The year-on-year development of all indicators is published after having been adjusted for the influence of the number of working days. Month-on-month or quarter-on-quarter rates have also been seasonally adjusted. Contributions to an increase or to a decrease have been calculated from data that had been adjusted for working days.
Methodology: https://csu.gov.cz/pru_m

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 the 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 2024
Related outputs: time series in the Public database, the Industry chapter 
international comparison in EU countries: Eurostat
Next news release will be published on: 8 July 2024