22/08/2001

Gap in fortunes between UK service and manufacturing sectors widens

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released figures which show a widening gap in fortunes between the UK's buoyant services firms and its recession-hit factories.

ONS said that while service industries performed better in the spring than it had previously thought, producers had recorded a worse-than-expected decline.

Figures revealed that output from UK producers fell by 1.1 per cent in the April-June quarter, with production by manufacturers slumping 2 per cent.

However, the service sector output was revised upwards to 0.8 per cent during the quarter, from an original estimate of 0.6 per cent, thanks largely to unforeseen strength in the hotels and restaurant industries.

The ONS report left its estimate of overall UK economic growth unchanged at 0.3 per cent above the quarter before.

The report, which follows official confirmation that UK manufacturing has entered recession, has prompted concerns about the contrasting fortunes of service and production sectors. (MB)

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