FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1981
REPORT ON THE QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY FOR APRIL
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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (FRIDAY) RELEASED THE RESULTS OF THE QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY CONDUCTED IN APRIL, THIS YEAR.
ABOUT 830 FIRMS FROM VARIOUS INDUSTRIES AND BUSINESSES, FORMING A CROSS-SECTION OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY, WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1981, AND THEIR BUSINESS EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1981.
RESULTS OF THE SURVEY INDICATE THAT THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1981 WAS QUITE DIFFERENT AS BETWEEN THE MANUFACTURING AND NON-MANUFACTURING SECTORS.
ALL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES EXPERIENCED A SEASONALLY LOW FIRST QUARTER, AT A LEVEL SLIGHTLY BELOW THOSE OF PREVIOUS YEARS, AND THE DEGREE OF DETERIORATION FROM THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1980 WAS SOMEWHAT MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN HAD BEEN PREDICTED BEFORE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, NON-MANUFACTURING SECTORS, TAKEN TOGETHER, REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BUSINESS SITUATION TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN EXPECTED, BUT NOT TO THE SAME EXTENT THAT THEY IMPROVED IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1980 OVER THE THIRD QUARTER OF THE SAME YEAR.
FIRMS IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE PRINTING, PLASTICS AND ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES, EXPECT BETTER PERFORMANCE IN THE SECOND QUARTER.
FIRMS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND GAS AND ELECTRICITY INDUSTRIES ARE CONFIDENT OF FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS,
FIRMS IN THE NON-MANUFACTURING SECTORS ALSO ANTICIPATE IMPROVEMENTS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF RESTAURANTS AND THOSE IN THE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE, WHICH EXPECT FURTHER DETERIORATION IN THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION BUT THIS MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO SEASONAL EFFECTS.
WITHIN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, THE FOOD, BEVERAGE AND TOBACCO+ INDUSTRY WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY PREDICTED SOME IMPROVEMENT IN THE BUSINESS SITUATION IN THE FIRST QUARTER, REPORTED DETERIORATION INSTEAD.
THE WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRY EXPERIENCED A SOMEWHAT MORE SIGNIFICANT DECLINE THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED.
THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY, ON THE OTHER HAND, REPORTED A LESS DRASTIC DECLINE THAN ORIGINALLY FORECAST.
AS FOR IMMEDIATE PROSPECTS, MOST INDUSTRIES EXPECT IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE SECOND QUARTER IN LINE WITH PREVIOUS YEARS.
A MORE SURPRISING RESULT IS FORECAST FOR THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY. AFTER SEVERAL CONSECUTIVE QUARTERS OF DETERIORATION IN THE BUSINESS SITUATION, AN IMPROVEMENT IS PREDICTED BY RESPONDENTS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1981.
THE CONSTRUCTION