Dutch industry down 3% in May, machinery and equipment hit hardest

Dutch industrial productivity fell 3% in May, the tenth consecutive month of year-on-year decline.

Productivity in two-thirds of industries was lower than a year ago, with machinery repair and installation falling 26.5%.

The production of electrical and electronic equipment was the only industry to achieve significant growth, up 9.1%. Data released by the statistics agency CBS.

Taking seasonal factors into account, productivity fell by 0.4% month-on-month.

Dutch industry was heavily affected by the performance of Germany, where productivity fell 7% year-on-year in May and 2.9% since April.

Productivity in the Netherlands has fallen every month since April last year, with the exception of July last year, when it grew by 1.3%. After two years of the coronavirus pandemic, productivity in the Netherlands has continued to fall, peaking at 13.4% in June 2021.