Rise in manufacturing sales, investment

Sales and investment in the manufacturing industry increased during the third quarter of the year, driven mainly by the radio, TV and communication equipment sub-sector, while employment declined, according to the National Statistics Office.

Total manufacturing sales went up by 7.3 per cent to Lm261.3 million during the third quarter compared to the same period last year, the NSO said. The broad trends in manufacturing sales reflect those for the first nine months of the year, when manufacturing sales rose by 7.8 per cent, reaching Lm755.3 million.

Employment in the sampled enterprises declined by 998 employees to 18,495 between September 2005 and the same month this year.

During the first nine months of this year, investment amounted to Lm46.2 million, an increase of Lm10.4 million over the same period in 2005.