Now hiring – PMI 12 Aug 2016 55.8July-1.8Monthly Changeexpandingslower rate Catherine Beard Director, Advocacy BusinessNZ View profile New Zealand's manufacturing sector continued to show stable growth in activity for July, according to the latest BNZ - BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). The seasonally adjusted PMI for July was 55.8 (a PMI reading above 50.0 indicates that manufacturing is generally expanding; below 50.0 that it is declining). Although this was 1.8 points lower than June, it still represented healthy growth. The sector remains solidly in expansion in almost all months since October 2012. BusinessNZ's executive director for manufacturing Catherine Beard said that while both production and new orders came back slightly from strong activity levels, employment has been a slow and steady burner in terms of activity. "Expansion for employment reached 54.6 in July, which was the fifth consecutive monthly increase in activity. It was also the highest level of activity for this sub-index since October 2014". "Despite the slight dip in overall expansion, the proportion of positive comments increased slightly from 62.8% in June to 63.8% in July. A number of comments were centered on business as usual, with continued growth in customer orders."BNZ Senior Economist, Craig Ebert, said "The only weak looking constituent of July's PMI was around the stocks of finished products. Yet it's hard to see this as a genuine negative. Not with new orders, as a demand indicator, still relatively strong at a seasonally adjusted 58.1".View the Time Series Data Main Indicies Regional Results Craig Ebert Senior Economist, BNZ The PMINew Zealand's Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) maintained decent momentum in July. Its seasonally adjusted result was 55.8, compared to the 57.6 level it edged up to in June.Read more InventoryThe only weak looking constituent of July's PMI was around the stocks of finished products. Indeed, the index for this slipped into slight contraction territory, with a reading of 49.0.Read more EmploymentAs other components of the NZ PMI might arguably have slowed a bit, its employment index has steadily picked up over the last 5 months. It hit a relatively strong 54.6 in July, from 53.7 in June.Read more Concrete ProductionAs we've frequently pointed out, the manufacturing sector is being greatly supported by a hefty construction cycle.Read more . View full BNZ Manufacturing Snapshot PMI Time Series TableThe results are seasonally adjusted. National Indicies Jul2015Mar2016Apr2016May2016 Jun2016 Jul2016 BNZ - BusinessNZ PMI 54.354.856.657.157.655.8 Production57.255.458.761.060.658.4 Employment 50.949.050.153.253.754.6 New Orders55.658.059.559.961.358.1 Finished Stocks52.354.752.849.450.649.0 Deliveries54.551.856.655.256.155.1 View the Time Series Data BNZ - BusinessNZ PMI Time Series January 2018 – July 2016 International ResultsJ.P. Morgan Global Manufacturing PMITM 1 Aug 201651.0 In this section Surveys & Statistics Performance of Manufacturing Index Performance of Services Index Compliance Cost Survey Exporters Survey Southern Cross Health Society - BusinessNZ Wellness in the Workplace Survey Reports & Publications BusinessNZ Planning Forecast International BusinessNZ RAT Suppliers Guides & Tools BusinessNZ RAT Suppliers RATs for non-critical business, agencies and organisations BNZ - BusinessNZ PMI Time Series Data View seasonally adjusted and unadjusted time series data for the BNZ - BusinessNZ PMI BNZ is delighted to be associated with the Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) and BusinessNZ.This association brings together the significant experience of leading business advocacy body BusinessNZ, and business finance specialist BNZ.We look forward to continuing our association with BusinessNZ and associated regional organisations, and to playing our part in the ongoing development of the New Zealand manufacturing sector. View website Media Comment For media comment, please contact: Catherine Beard, BusinessNZ 04 496 6560 Craig Ebert, BNZ 04 474 6799 Technical Comment For more information or assistance with data interpretation, please contact: Steve Summers 04 496 6564 ssummers@businessnz.org.nz Our Contributors The BNZ - BusinessNZ PMI contains data obtained through BusinessNZ's regional organisations About the PMI The BNZ - BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index is a monthly survey of the manufacturing sector providing an early indicator of activity levels.A PMI reading above 50 points indicates manufacturing activity is expanding; below 50 indicates it is contracting.The main PMI and sub-index results are seasonally adjusted. Related Articles Blooming good – PMI Steady state – PMI Now hiring – PMI Stretching out – PMI Pumping production – PMI View more