Manufacturing sector production fell by 1.9% in April compared to the previous month. Industrial production fell by 2.5%, while construction sector production rose by 0.2%. Manufacturing sector production fell by 0.3% in a two-month comparison : March/April vs. January/February. Construction activity increased (+1.9%), while industrial activity decreased (-0.6%). The automotive industry reported a production decline of 1.9%.

Incoming orders in the manufacturing sector have slowed since the turn of the year. Domestic orders decreased by 0.8% in April, while orders from the euro zone fell by 5.8%. Orders from the non-euro zone nonetheless rose by 5.7%. The proportion of major orders was below average for April. Disregarding major orders, 2.1% more orders were reported. Incoming manufacturing orders fell by 1.1% in a two-month comparison : March/April vs. January/February. Overall, orders have stabilized at a low level in the last two months as foreign demand has picked up. Orders in April were about 5% below the average monthly figure for 2018.