Manufacturing growing

The Southland and Otago manufacturing industry is growing, data from the Otago Southland Employers’ Association shows. The sector recorded a Performance of Manufacturing Index score of 60 in May – up from 57.7 in April, but down from 66.1 in March. The service sector reported a Performance of Service Index of 41.1 – down from 54.5 in April, but up from 39.6 in March. Association chief executive Virginia Nicholls said that with very low unemployment, employers were ‘‘having significant difficulty’’ recruiting both skilled and unskilled workers. Manufacturers were also facing increased electricity pricing, Nicholls said, while supply chain delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic had not yet been resolved.