Manufacturing output slightly up in December

Growth in slightly more than half of industries

Slightly more than half of all manufacturing industries saw their output increase in December year on year. As in the previous month, the industry repair and installation of machinery recorded the strongest growth among the larger industries.

Output rose in December

A more accurate picture of short-term output developments is obtained when figures are adjusted for seasonal effects and the working-day pattern. After adjustments, a 1.6-percent increase is seen in manufacturing output from November to December.

Adjusted for seasonal and working-day effects, manufacturing output is seen to fluctuate significantly. In the spring of 2020, output declined rapidly and a low point was reached in May 2020. After that, output picked up again, until May 2022. The trend seems to have reversed since then, but output is still relatively high.

Producer confidence slightly up again

Confidence among Dutch manufacturers improved again slightly in January 2023. This is mainly due to the fact that manufacturers were somewhat more positive about their order positions.

Germany is an important market for the Dutch manufacturing industry. In January, German entrepreneurs again showed improved confidence, according to the Business Climate Index of the IFO Institute. They were more positive about their current situation and less pessimistic about the future situation. The average daily output generated by the German manufacturing industry was down by 2.1 percent year on year in December, as reported by Destatis.