A sharp fall in both
industrial turnover and orders in December "impose a duty and
responsibility for all the country to react", Confindustria
employers' group head Vincenzo Boccia said Tuesday.
Boccia called for the "immediate" opening of a number of
public works sites which have been blocked and which "are
so-called anti-cyclical elements that would boost jobs and
growth".
Italian industrial turnover was down by 3.5% in December with
respect to November and by 7.3% compared to the same month in
2017, according to calendar-adjusted data released by ISTAT on
Tuesday.
This was the biggest year-on-year drop since November 2009.
Industrial orders, meanwhile, fell by 1.9% on November and by
5.3% with respect to December 2017, the national statistics
agency said.
In this case, the year-on-year drop was the worse since July
2016.
The agency said a drop in foreign demand was a big factor.
It said that, for 2018 as a whole, industrial turnover was up
2.3% with respect to 2017, compared to a rise of 5.6% the
previous year.
Orders were up 2% in 2018 with respect to 2017, down from
6.3% the year before.
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