Seasonally adjusted figures from the Central Statistics Office show a strong start to industrial production this year.
The volume of production in January was 9.4% higher than in the same month last year. For the three months from November to January, production was up 5.6% on the previous three months.
In January, the modern sector - which includes high-tech and chemical industries - showed a 10.3% jump on January 2006, while the 'traditional' sector was up 5.8%.
Separate CSO figures show that the number of days lost to industrial disputes last year dropped sharply compared with 2005.
7,352 days were lost, compared with 26,665 the previous year. There were 10 disputes, down from 15 in 2005. The construction sector accounted for 65% of the days lost.
