German Factory Employment Rises; Hungarian Construction Slumps

Arthi Gupta
15 Aug, 2011
New York City

German factory employment climbed but Swedish industrial output fell in June. Denmark factory prices rose, Czech producer price inflation eased, and Swiss producer and import price index declined in July.

[R]2:00 PM Frankfurt – German factory employment climbed but Swedish industrial output fell in June. Denmark factory prices rose, Czech producer price inflation eased, and Swiss producer and import price index declined in July.[/R]

German Factory Employment Rises

Employment in German factories increased from last year in June, according to preliminary data released by the Federal Statistics Office today.

The number of persons working in manufacturing units with 50 or more employees rose 3.1% annually to 5.07 million in June.

The total earnings of employees in the German manufacturing sector rose 5.5% but the number of hours worked declined 3.6% percent from last year to 624 million in June.

Denmark Factory Prices Climb

Producer prices in Denmark increased 6.9% from a year ago in July, Statistics Denmark said on Monday.

On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3% in July.

Czech PPI Eases

Czech industrial producer price index for the industry rose 5.4% from a year ago in July, following an increase of 5.5% in June, data from the Czech Statistics Office showed.

On a monthly basis, industrial producer prices dropped 0.1% in July.

Separately, the statistics agency said that import prices rose 0.4% annually in June, following a 2.1% gain in May.

Export prices declined 1.4% annually in June as against a 0.1% fall in May.

Swiss Producer & Import Prices Declines

Switzerland''s producer and import price index fell 0.6% from a year ago in July, faster than the 0.4% decrease recorded in June, data released by the statistics office showed on Monday.

The producer price index dropped 0.8% annually and the import price index fell 0.1% in July.

On a monthly basis, the producer and import price index decreased 0.7% in July. There was a 0.4% monthly decline in producer prices and a 1.1% decrease in import prices in July.

Swedish Output Drops

Industrial production in Sweden fell 3.3% on a monthly basis in June after adjusting to seasonal variations following a revised 2.1% rise in May, data from Statistics Sweden showed on Monday.

Separately, new orders received by Swedish industry fell 1% in seasonally adjusted terms in June from May, the statistics office reported.

Norwegian Surplus Improves

Norway''s merchandise trade surplus rose 37.2% from a year ago to NOK 38.15 billion in July, data released by Statistics Norway showed on Monday. The trade surplus surged 54% on a monthly basis in July.

Exports rose 17.8% annually to NOK 72.69 billion in July. Total imports increased 1.9% from a year ago to NOK 34.55 billion in July.

Hungarian Construction Output Slumps

Hungary''s construction production dropped 13.9% annually in June as against than the 5.2% decline in May, according to data released by the Central Statistics Office published today.

Building construction fell 17.2% annually, and civil engineering construction slid 10.5% in June.