Ireland’s indigenous factories increase output quicker than multinationals

The country's so-called modern sector which includes pharmaceutical and computer firms, saw a 20% drop in production

The country's so-called traditional sector expanded its output by almost 23% in the first three months of the year.

The output of Ireland’s indigenous factories grew at a faster pace than that of the multinationals in the first three months of the year, new CSO figures suggest. 

Production in the so-called traditional sector rose by almost 23% from the same period last year when many industries were impacted by Covid-19 restrictions.

That compares with the 20% drop in production of the so-called modern sector, which includes multinationals, the figures show. 

The modern sector includes firms that manufacture large quantities of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, computer and electrical equipment, medical and dental instruments and supplies. 

Overall, production in manufacturing industries increased 13% between January and the end of March from the preceding three months. On an annual basis, production in manufacturing industries fell 6% in March from March 2021.

Quarterly increase of 12.9% in industrial productionhttps://t.co/YqMvmPo0AB #CSOIreland #Ireland #IrishBusiness #BusinessStatistics #IndustrialProduction #Manufacturing #IndustrialTurnover #Business #BusinessNews pic.twitter.com/7E8qQEMgFM

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) May 9, 2022

In the traditional sector, the volume production of wood and wood products, except furniture, increased 169% in March 2022 compared with the same period last year.

Production in the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning sector increased by nearly 6% in the three months from January 2022 to March 2022, compared to the same period last year.