The seasonally adjusted volume of industrial production for the three months to May was down 1.7% on the previous three-month period, according to the Central Statistics Office.
Production in May was 0.2% lower than in the same month last year. This was the first annual fall since September.
Separate CSO figures showed that 52,600 people were employed in banks, insurance companies and building societies in March, up 2,300 compared with a year earlier. Average weekly earnings in the sector were running 6.3% ahead of last year.
