Petroleum processing drives Q2 business trends
An increase in petroleum processing boosted industry in the second quarter of 2008, the Federal Statistics Office announced on Tuesday.
The Statistics Office also said that over all industries, production rose by 6.1 per cent compared with the same quarter in 2007.
The news comes amid dismal market conditions in the United States and predictions of tough times in Europe.
Sales were up 8.9 per cent, orders received climbed 5.4 per cent and orders on hand rose 12 per cent. Stocks of finished products rose by 11 per cent.
Coking and petroleum processing posted the largest increases in Switzerland, followed by the electrical and precision engineering industries, mechanical engineering, and rubber and plastic products.
Only the mining sector suffered a slight decline.
The Statistics Office also said that the labour market in the manufacturing and construction sectors remained strong.
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