Fall in output from Irish factories focuses debate on outlook

Output from Irish factories fell in November from October as production from the so-called modern sector, comprising mostly large multinational firms, fell for the first time in six months.

The CSO figures showed, however, that output from the modern sector remains 14% higher in the year, while output from the traditional sector, which tends to be more labour-intensive, rose in the month and posted a near 8% rise in the year.

The figures have sparked a debate about when the huge beneficial factors driving industrial output will start to wane.