15 June, 2000
Inquiries: Mr Rami Peltola +358 9 1734 3615, Mr Kari
Rautio +358 9 1734 2479
Director in charge: Mr Ilkka Hyppönen
Industrial output grew by 4.7 per cent from previous year in April
According to Statistics Finland, Finnish industrial output as calculated per working day went up by 4.7 per cent in the year to April. A strike in the paper industry in April slowed down the growth of industrial output.
Output in the wood and paper industry fell by 15.5 per cent from the previous year in April, whereas in March the industry's output grew by 9.4 per cent. The strong growth of output in the electronics industry continued, and its output increased by close on 25 per cent in April. In the rest of the metal industry, too, output increased by nearly 4 per cent in April. The increase was the same in March.
In the chemical industry, output went up good 6 per cent, whereas in March it fell by 5.5 per cent. The fall of output in March was caused by a strike in the industry. Output in other manufacturing went up by nearly 2 per cent. The growth was partly attributable to output increases in the manufacture of construction materials and furniture.
Capacity utilisation rate in manufacturing was 81 per cent in April. The low rate is explained by the strike in the paper industry. In the pulp and paper industry, capacity utilisation rate was barely 70 per cent, in the metal industry 90 per cent, in the chemical industry 79 per cent and in other manufacturing 78 per cent.
In the year to April, Finnish industrial output grew by 8.8 per cent (seasonally adjusted). The impact of the strikes has been eliminated from the Finnish seasonally adjusted figures. According to the OECD's seasonally adjusted series, output in the United States was up by 6.1 per cent on the year before. The respective growth figures for Japan and Germany were 7.3 per cent and 6.1 per cent.
Source: Volume Index of Industrial Output 2000, April. Statistics Finland