In September 2024, Czech industrial production saw a modest increase of 0.8% compared to the previous year, while new orders rose by 5.1%. Growth was primarily driven by the vehicle and electronics sectors, although some industries continued to decline.
“The moderate growth in industrial production in September was mainly driven by the production of motor vehicles and other means of transport, especially rail vehicles,” explained Radek Matějka, Director of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, Industry, Construction and Energy Statistics at the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ). Production in data processing equipment, electronics, and optical products also continued to grow in September. In contrast, companies in mechanical and plant engineering, metal production and processing, metallurgy, foundries, and coal mining recorded declines.
The value of incoming orders at current prices rose by 5.1% in September 2024 compared to the previous year in the analyzed sectors. Incoming orders from abroad increased by 1.4% year-on-year, while domestic orders rose by 12.4%. Compared to the previous month, however, incoming orders fell by 0.9%. “In September, companies in other vehicle construction and mechanical engineering were again able to secure long-term contracts. The value of new orders also increased in the manufacture of computers, electronic, and optical instruments and devices,” said Veronika Doležalová, Head of the Industrial Statistics Department at the Statistical Office. The long-term decline in demand continued in the metal production and processing, metallurgy, foundry, and machinery and equipment sectors.
The average number of registered employees in industry fell by 2.0% in September 2024 compared to the previous year.
According to data published by Eurostat, industrial production in the EU27 rose by 0.2% in August 2024 compared to the previous year. Ireland (15.8% year-on-year) and Denmark (10.7% year-on-year) recorded the highest growth. Czech industrial production grew by 1.5%, while output in German industry fell by 2.5%. Within the EU27, the manufacture of computers, electronics, and optical products recorded the strongest growth (8.1%), while the manufacture of wearing apparel suffered the sharpest decline (13.7%). Eurostat will publish the preliminary data for September on 13 November 2024.
