Industry - February 2025

Industrial production in February 2025 was in real terms by 1.7% higher, m-o-m. In the year-on-year comparison, it increased by 1.5%. “The February growth of industrial production was mainly influenced by a low comparison basis from February 2024 in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply that was influenced by climatic conditions. Production of manufacturing stagnated, year-on-year,” Radek Matějka, Director of the Agricultural and Forestry, Industrial, Construction, and Energy Statistics Department of the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), says. Many economic activities with moderate year-on-year growth rates contributed upwards to the growth rate of industrial production, for example, food industry, manufacture of machinery and equipment, and manufacture of electrical equipment. A decrease was recorded by manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products and by manufacture of other transport equipment, in which (in addition to long-term work in progress) also a higher comparison basis was reflected.

The value of new orders at current prices in surveyed industrial CZ-NACE activities in February 2025 decreased by 1.3%, y-o-y. New non-domestic orders decreased by 0.3%, y-o-y, domestic new orders dropped by 3.1%. In the month-on-month comparison, the value of new orders was by 3.0% higher. “The value of new industrial orders decreased, year-on-year, already for the second successive month. A moderate decrease was recorded by the automotive industry, an influence of a high comparison basis was reflected in a decrease of new orders in manufacture of other transport equipment,” Veronika Doležalová, Head of the Industrial Statistics Unit of the CZSO, says. On the other hand, in manufacture of machinery and equipment, industrial orders increased for the third successive month already, namely thanks to partial contracts across the entire economic activity.

The average registered number of employees in industry decreased by 2.0%, y-o-y, in February 2025.

According to data released by Eurostat, industrial production in the EU27 decreased by 0.2%, year-on-year, in January 2025. The biggest year-on-year decrease was recorded by Slovakia (by 5.1%) and Denmark (by 4.4%). German industry decreased by 1.8%, performance of Czech industry decreased by 0.8%. On the other hand, Irish and Lithuanian industry increased the most (by 10.4% and 9.8%, respectively). As for economic activities of industry, the biggest decrease in the EU27 was in manufacture of leather and related products (by 12.5%) and the highest growth was recorded by other manufacturing (by 12.9%). According to a preliminary release calendar, Eurostat will release data for February 2025 on 15 April 2025.