Austria Manufacturing PMI2013-2020 Data | 2021-2022 Forecast | Calendar

The Unicredit Bank Austria Manufacturing PMI rose to 40.4 in May 2020 from an all-time low of 31.6 in the previous month. Still, the latest reading pointed to the second sharpest contraction in factory activity on record amid the coronavirus crisis. Output shrank for the third consecutive month albeit at a slower pace as some firms reopened operations; and new orders continued to fall amid reports of client closures and general hesitancy. The job shedding rate slowed, still it was the second-fastest seen in over a decade. On the price front, input prices declined at the quickest pace since July 2018 due to lower oil prices, and output charges dropped at the steepest rate in 11 years. Finally, sentiment remained negative amid worries over potential long-lasting effects from the covid-19 pandemic on demand.

The Unicredit Bank Austria Manufacturing PMI tumbled to a record low of 31.6 in April of 2020 from 45.8 in the previous month. Like output, new orders across the Austrian manufacturing sector showed an unprecedented collapse in April, with firms reporting order cancellations or postponements, client closures, and general uncertainty weighing on demand. Data showed a similarly sharp drop in export sales, reflecting the global nature of the COVID-19 outbreak. The decline in activity led manufacturers to cut workforce numbers at the fastest pace in more than 11 years. Finally, business confidence hit a record low for the second successive month. Many firms feared long-lasting effects from the pandemic, including extended disruption to production and supply, and a weak investment outlook.

The Unicredit Bank Austria Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.2 in February of 2020 from 49.2 in the prior month. The reading pointed to the quickest expansion in factory activity since February last year after 10 straight months of decline, as both output and employment returned to growth. Still, new orders fell for the fourteenth month running, due to another drop in exports mainly to southern Europe and China. Also, lead times on input increased with companies linking delivery delays to the outbreak of coronavirus in China and subsequent supply issues. Meantime, stocks of purchases shrank the least in five months while postproduction inventories fell the most in over two years. On the price front, input costs declined for the ninth month and at the fastest pace since last September. Output charges fell only marginally and at the slowest rate in the current eight-month sequence of decline. Looking ahead, business confidence reached the strongest level since June 2018.

The UniCredit Bank Austria Manufacturing PMI increased to 49.2 in January of 2020 from 46 in December. The reading pointed to the 10th straight month of contraction in factory activity, although at the slowest pace since the current period of falls started. Total new orders received by Austrian manufacturers were down for the thirteenth month although new export orders rose for the first time in 16 months. It was a similar picture for output, which showed almost no change from the month before and employment also fell at a slower rate. On the price front, average purchasing costs dropped further and output charges were also reduced. Looking ahead, manufacturers' confidence towards future output was at its highest since September 2018. Firms often pinned their hopes on an upturn in export sales.