Small changes in manufacturing

Production in oil and gas extraction, manufacturing, mining and quarrying and power supply (the overall index) showed a decline of 0.3 per cent from March to April 1999 according to seasonally adjusted figures. Manufacturing output increased by 0.5 per cent during the same period, thanks largely to growth in the engineering industries. Please note that current seasonally adjusted figures are uncertain. The figures for March have been revised in certain industrial sectors.

Manufacturing output in April was one per cent higher than during the same month last year if you compare the weekly corrected statistics. Activity remains high in the traditional engineering industries because of relatively large reserves of unfilled orders. The metal products industry can point to an increase in orders in hand through the first quarter of this year. Output also increased from March to April in this sector. If you look at the seasonally adjusted figures from November 1998 to January 1999 and compare them to the period from February to April 1999, manufacturing output is about unchanged. The high activity is depleting reserves of unfilled orders, with only the manufacture of electrical and optical equipment showing a seasonally adjusted increase since November 1998, although several other industries have seen a positive change from March to April this year. Oil platform construction and fitting out industries are distinguished by a clear decline from an extremely high level in the second half of 1998.

Decline in food, beverages and tobacco

Output in the food, beverages and tobacco industry shows a clear seasonally adjusted decline from March to April this year. This is related to seasonal fluctuations in the fisheries sector and lower production of pork. Falling sales of dairy products and lower production of soft drinks are also a factor in the decline.

New Statistics
Index of production, April 1999.
Statistics are published monthly in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. For more information contact: Oyvind.Naustdal@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 47 35 or Tom.Langer.Andersen@ssb.no, tel. +47 21 09 47 29.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 23, 1999