Secondary sector with strong production and turnover losses in the 4th quarter and for the whole of 2020

19.02.2021 – Secondary sector production declined 3.1% in 4th quarter 2020 in comparison with the same quarter a year earlier. Turnover fell by 4.4%. For 2020 as a whole which was shaped by the Covid 19 pandemic, there were strong decreases in production (-3.3%) and turnover (-5.2%). The last time such losses were observed in production figures was in 2009, a year affected by the financial crisis. This is shown by provisional results from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). 

In comparison with the previous year industrial production declined in October by 7.0%, in November by 3.1%, and in December by 1.0%. For the whole of 4th quarter 2020 production declined by 3.8% in comparison with the same quarter a year earlier.

Construction production increased by 0.2% in 4th quarter 2020 in comparison with the same quarter a year earlier. Production rose by 4.2% in building, civil engineering also registered an increase (+11.0%). Lastly, specialised construction activities registered a decline of 3.4% in their production.

Turnover

Industrial turnover in October fell by 7.8% in comparison with the previous year, and in November
(-5.2%) and in December (-3.2%). For the whole of 4th quarter 2020 in comparison with the same quarter a year earlier, turnover registered a decline of 5.5%.

Construction turnover rose by 0.1% in 4th quarter 2020 in comparison with the same quarter a year earlier. Turnover rose by 4.5% in building. Also civil engineering increased (+11.1%) whereas specialised construction activities registered a decline of 3.6%.

Provisional results for 2020 as a whole

For the whole of 2020, compared with the previous year the secondary sector recorded a decline in production of 3.3% (turnover -5.2%), whereby the sectors responded in different ways to the measures taken following the Covid 19 pandemic.

The largest production and turnover declines were seen in the sectors “textiles and apparel” (-16.3%; -16.7%), “machinery and equipment” (-15.6%; -15.6%) and “electronic products, watches and clocks” (-15.6%; -15.5%). The greatest increases were recorded by the pharmaceutical industry (+6.9%; +2.4%) and civil engineering (+3.7%; +4.0%).

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