Manufacturing boost


Factory output expanded in the three months to May, official figures show.


Manufacturing output was 1.3% higher than the previous three months.


Eight of the 13 subsectors posted growth figures compared with the previous three-month period.


The biggest contribution came from pharmaceuticals with a 7.2% increase, while transport equipment output, such as cars, expanded by 4.4%


Factory output was only 0.6% higher than the same period a year ago. Meanwhile, the volatile monthly figure showed a 0.5% decrease in May compared with April.


Output of the production industries — manufacturing, utilities and mining — was 1.9% higher than the previous three months and 1.2% higher than the same period a year earlier.


As with manufacturing, the volatile monthly figure for production output showed a 0.5% decrease in May compared with the previous month.


www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/output/bulletins/indexofproduction/may2016