Short-term Business Statistics Q4 '06

There was an improvement in the performance of the five main industrial groupings (MIGs) in the last three months of last year compared with the same period in 2005.

The five MIGs are: intermediate goods; capital goods; consumer durables; non-durable consumer goods; and energy.

Industrial turnover increased by 9.8% in the fourth quarter of 2006, compared to the same quarter in 2005. The increase is attributed to all the main industrial groupings.

Employment in industry is estimated to have increased by 10.8% in the last quarter of 2006 compared to the last quarter of the previous year. This reflected increases in the capital goods, consumer non-durables and intermediate goods sectors, contrasted by lower employment in the consumer durables and energy sectors.

Gross wages and salaries in industry increased by 5%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2005, reflecting increases in all the groupings, except the consumer durables sector.

Hours worked increased by 6.6%, driven by developments in the production of capital goods and in the intermediate goods sectors.

This week's statistical releases

Thursday Agriculture: Animal Production Q4, 2006

Friday Gross Domestic Product for 2006