Manufacturing sales up 3.1 per cent

The National Statistics Office reports that over this year’s second quarter, total sales by Malta’s manufacturing enterprises increased by Lm7.5 million, or 3.1 per cent, over Q2 2002 and increased to Lm252.6 million.
The highest climber was undoubtedly the Food and Beverages sub-sector, which enhanced its sales performance by nearly Lm3.5 million or 12.3 per cent to Lm31.9 million.
Sales by the Radio, TV and Communications sub-sector increased by Lm2.6 million or 2.2 per cent, while the Other Transport Equipment, the Medical and Precision Equipment and the Textiles manufacturing sub-sectors also registered an increase in their sales compared to the same period under review of 2002.
Over the course of the second quarter this year, sales by the Clothes and the Furniture & Manufacture N.E.C. manufacturing sub-sector dropped by Lm1.9 million or 12.9 per cent and Lm1.3 million or 9.5 per cent respectively.
Employment in the sampled enterprises, meanwhile, declined by a net of 844 employees to 21,173, when compared to the same period the year before. Most of the job losses were registered in the Clothing manufacturing sub-sector (-801 employees), the Plastic and Rubber Products (-191 employees) and the Leather (-141 employees) manufacturing sub-sectors.
An increase in employment was recorded by the Radio, TV and Communications (227 employees) and the Printing and Publishing (109 employees) manufacturing sub-sectors.
In the period under review, an amount of Lm30.5 million was paid out in wages and salaries by the sampled enterprises; an increase of Lm1.1 million over the same period last year.
In the quarter under review, overall investment in manufacturing increased by 0.2 million to Lm12.1 million from Lm11.9 million in the previous year.