Industrial output grew by 1.6 per cent in March from February

According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 1.6 per cent higher in March than in February. In February industrial output went up by 2 per cent from January. Seasonally adjusted output has grown in two consecutive months.

Seasonally adjusted change in the volume of whole industrial output from the previous month, %

Output fell by 4.9 per cent in March from the year before

Compared to last year's March, seasonally adjusted industrial output fell by 4.9 per cent. Industrial output declined in March in nearly all the main industries from the year before. A positive exception to this was the manufacture of electrical products, which increased by good one per cent. Output fell by over 2 per cent in the metal industry and by close on 11 per cent in the chemical industry. In the wood and paper industry output contracted by good 4 per cent in March.

Seasonally adjusted change in the volume of industrial output 3/2001-3/2002, %

Capacity utilisation rate in manufacturing was nearly 86 per cent in March, which is almost 2 percentage points lower than in March 2001. In the pulp and paper industry, capacity utilisation rate was 89 per cent, in the metal industry approximately 90 per cent and in the chemical industry close on 78 per cent. Capacity utilisation rate in other manufacturing was 77 per cent.

Revised data for March will be published on 31 May 2002 at 8 am in connection with the industrial output data for April. Because of the method used, seasonally adjusted figures for previous months may change even if the original figures did not become revised.

Source: Volume Index of Industrial Output 2002, March. Statistics Finland
StatFin statistical service at: statfin.stat.fi