Construction climbing out of contraction | Ai Group – Australian Industry Group

The Ai Group Australian Industry Index® eased in October 2023, dropping 6.5 points to -9.9 points (seasonally adjusted). The index, which reports industry conditions and sentiment, has indicated contraction for the last 18 months.
Key findings for October 2023:
Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group said: “The employment index fell back into contraction in October, while activity and new orders declined more steeply than in the previous month. Further improvement in the Australian PCI® indicator is a positive sign, with a broader range of construction firms reporting improved trading conditions. But the Aii indicates a worsening of contractionary conditions in the industrial sector as a whole. This is particularly evident in upstream manufacturing sectors and business services,” Mr Willox said.
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Australian Industry INDEX^® Activity indicators
Index Oct 2023
Change
from last month
Australian Industry index^®
Sectors & subsectors
Index Oct 2023
Change
from last month 
Australian Industry Index®
-9.9
-6.5
Australian PMI® (all manufacturing)
-20.9
-8.1
 Activity/Sales
-16.9
-9.9
 Chemicals
-11.7
1.6
 Employment
-7.3
-8.8
 Minerals & Metals
-37.1
5.8
 New Orders
-17.3
-8.0
 Machinery & Equipment
14.0
15.9
 Input Volumes
12.4
5.1
 Food, Beverages & TCF
-4.5
-6.5
 Exports
-25.6
-15.6
Australian PCI® (construction)
18.5
11.4
 Input Prices
46.0
0.4
Business Services
-23.6
-17.0
 Sales Prices
16.5
-8.9
 
 
 
 Average Wages
35.9
0.7
Capacity Utilisation (%)
80.2
-0.5
Positive scores indicate expansion; negative scores contraction
The Ai Group Australian Industry Index® is a monthly index of business activity in the Australian industrial ecosystem. It includes the manufacturing, construction, engineering, technology and business services sectors, which together account for approximately 36% of the Australian economy. It reports on a -100 to 100 scale. Values below 0 indicate contraction, and above 0 indicate expansion. The distance from 0 indicates the strength: 20 is expanding faster than 10.
 
Media enquiries
Tony Melville – 0419 190 347
 
About the Ai Group Australian Industry Index®
The Ai Group Australian Industry Index® is a monthly index that measures changes in activity in Australia’s industrial sectors. It provides diffusion indices which measure rates of changes in the level of industrial activity – expansion, stability, or contraction. A positive reading indicates the activity is expanding; negative indicates contraction. The distance from 0 indicates the strength of the expansion or decline.
 
The Australian Industry Index is based on monthly surveys from a national sample of Australian businesses. It uses ANZSIC industry codes for classifying sectors, and weights survey results using ABS data on gross value added by sector. Seasonal adjustment and trend calculations follow ABS methodology. For the detailed methodology, please click here.
 
When referring to the Ai Group Australian Industry Index® the source should be attributed as “Australian Industry Group”.

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