Report shows industry becoming more competitive on international markets

A report prepared by the Institute for Economic Development of the Warsaw School of Economics shows that May was the fourth month in a row with a good economic climate for industry. Employment rose, while both the financial state and business optimism of industrial companies improved. However production levels and orders did not give grounds to be too happy. Production levels fell by 6 percentage points compared to April, with the fall being even steeper in public as compared to private companies. Order books shrunk, particularly in the important area of export orders, and no immediate improvement is visible in this area. Compared to February the structure of production slightly changed with more consumer goods being produced. Production for export rose by 7 percentage points in public companies and even more in private ones. Another bit of good news is that companies are beginning to see their products as more competitive on international markets than was the case so far. Prices have remained stable and, at least for the next few months, seem set to stay that way. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B3) A.D.