In the 3 months to April 2017 compared with the 3 months to January 2017, the Index of Production was estimated to have decreased by 1.2%, due mainly to falls of 5.8% in energy supply and 0.7% in manufacturing.

The highly volatile pharmaceuticals sector fell by a record 11.9% and provided the largest downward pressure on manufacturing, following an increase of 10.1% in the 3 months to January 2017.

In the 3 months to April 2017 compared with the same 3 months a year ago, the Index of Production increased by 1.0%, this was due mainly to a rise of 1.7% in manufacturing, which was largely due to transport equipment along with broad-based upwards contributions from most manufacturing industries.

In April 2017, total production was estimated to have increased by 0.2% compared with March 2017, due to rises of 2.9% in energy supply and 0.2% in manufacturing. Transport equipment provided the largest contribution to the manufacturing increase followed by pharmaceuticals.