Activity in the manufacturing sector was steady in November with output and new orders up slightly over the month.
The seasonally adjusted NCB Purchasing Managers index rose slightly to 51.2 in November from 50.9 in october. Any figure above 50 means activity grew.
The index reveals that total new business was boosted by a strong rise in new export orders, but employment and backlogs of work both continued to fall last month.
NCB economist Brian Devine said that fiscal and banking issues continue to be the focus in Ireland, but the underlying economy, especially those areas directly involved in exporting, are still alive.
The index shows that production growth was extended into the ninth month in a row in November. Higher new business was the main driver of rising output.
Total new orders were boosted by new export business, which saw a substantial increased as global demand strengthened and Irish manufacturers introduced new products. New export orders have now risen in 12 of the past 13 months, NCB noted.
But the job cuts continued in November. Cuts have now been recorded in all but one month of the past three years. Combined with reduced workloads, businesses also cut jobs in an effort to reduce costs.
NCB says that input cost inflation rose accelerated for the third month in a row as a range of raw materials increased in price. The latest rise in input prices was the fastest since May.
