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The total turnover for oil and gas extraction, manufacturing, mining and quarrying and electricity supply was NOK 105.8 billion in January and February of 1998. This is roughly the same as in the same period last year. Relatively rapid growth within the manufacturing industries was counteracted by a lower turnover in oil and gas extraction and in the electricity supply sector.
The companies in manufacturing had a turnover of NOK 67.2 billion in January and February 1998. This amounts to an increase of 8.5 percent over the same period last year. Traditionally export-oriented industries, especially business sectors within the engineering industry, have undergone rapid growth.
Rapid growth in the engineering industry
Manufacturing's turnover increased rapidly from January and February 1997 to January and February 1998. The most rapid growth occurred in business sectors in the engineering industry. The transport equipment and machinery business sectors both underwent an increase of 20 percent. Business sectors in the electrotechnical and optical industry and the oil platform industry underwent growths of 14.1 and 14.9 percent respectively during the same period. The growth rates in some of the engineering business sectors can vary greatly from one period to the next for technical accounting reasons. The increase this time has nevertheless been rapid, and has probably been strongly affected by the high investment activity in Norwegian business and industry.
Weekly Bulletin issue no. 28-29, 1998