That said, demand from overseas remained subdued, as new export sales fell for the third month running. At the same time, optimism towards the year ahead fell to a six-month low, while employment declined at the quickest pace since July 2017. Inflationary pressures picked up at the end of the second quarter, with input costs and output charges rising at the fastest rates in five and 11 months respectively.

The headline seasonally adjusted PMI fell fractionally from 51.1 in May to 51.0 in June, to signal a further marginal improvement in operating conditions. The health of the sector has now strengthened in each of the past 13 months, with the latest improvement broadly in line with the historical trend.