SA, Global Manufacturing Recovers From COVID-19, Enhancing Growth And High Levels Of Productivity

THEBE MABANGA

THE MANUFACTURING sector in South Africa and around the world is showing signs of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, but in South Africa this is not translating to new jobs, while the global recovery is threatened by the second wave of COVID-19 currently sweeping across Europe and the United States.  

On Tuesday, Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) reported that manufacturing production decreased by 2.6% in September 2020 compared with September 2019, but on all other measures, the manufacturing sector showed improvement.

Seasonally adjusted manufacturing production increased by 3.2% in September 2020 compared with August 2020.

This followed month-on-month changes of 3.3% in August 2020 (from July) and 5.6% in July 2020 (from June). Manufacturing hit its lowest point in April, when the economy was in hard lockdown. 

Seasonally adjusted manufacturing production increased by 32.9% in the third quarter of 2020 compared with the second quarter of 2020 with