July 27 (SeeNews) - Company managers active in Moldova’s construction, manufacturing, retail and services sectors expect moderate growth in their business in the third quarter of 2023, the country's statistics bureau said.
The next three months are also expected to bring relative stability in the number of employees and sales, as well as moderate growth in prices, primarily in retail trade and the services sectors, the statistical office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Economic activity across the four sectors is seen to be marked by moderate growth over the third quarter of 2023, with a positive balance of 9.7%.
The balance is calculated as the difference between the percentage of respondents who expect positive developments and the percentage of those whose expectations are negative.
Prices across the sectors in the review are also seen to register moderate growth, with a positive balance of 9%, while total sales and employees are expected to remain stable, with positive balances of 3.7% and 1.3%, respectively.
In the retail and services sectors, managers are estimating a moderate acceleration of economic activity and prices in the third quarter, with positive balances of 10.6% and 10.4%, respectively. The sales turnover and the number of employees in the two sectors are projected to be marked by relative stability, with positive balances of 3.5% and 2.3%, respectively.
Managers in the manufacturing sector estimate moderate growth in economic activity for the third quarter of the year, with a positive balance of 7.6%. Sales are also expected to grow moderately, with a positive balance of 7.1%, while the number of employees in manufacturing and the prices of goods are seen to remain stable, with positive balances of 2.1% and 4.6%, respectively.
Managers of construction companies also anticipate a moderate acceleration in their economic activity over the next three months, with a positive balance of 6.7%. Sales and prices of construction works are expected to remain stable, with positive balances of 0.5% and 5.8%, respectively, while the number of employees is seen to decrease, with a negative balance of 7%.
Managers of a total of 2,164 companies based in Moldova and operating in construction, manufacturing, retail and services were interviewed in the survey during the second quarter of 2023.
Managers interviewed in the first three months of the year expected moderate growth of economic activity in manufacturing during the second quarter, while construction along with retail and services were seen to be marked by relative stability.