March 28 (SeeNews) - Company managers in Romania expect an improvement in manufacturing, construction, services and retail in April and May, the National Statistical Office (INS) said on Tuesday.
Unlike last month, the managers of retail companies expect economic activity to pick up over the next two months, by 7%, INS said in a monthly business sentiment survey. Business sentiment regarding retail activities has been predominantly negative in 2016 and in the first two months of 2017.
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The volume of orders in retail is expected to increase by 4%, while the number of employees is expected to fall by 18%. The managers also expect a 6% rise in retail prices.
Romania's retail sales increased by 6.4% year-on-year in January, after growing by 7.2% the month before, seasonally and working-day adjusted data from the country’s statistical office showed.
Managers from the manufacturing sector expect an increase of 19% in production volumes. The production of beverages is seen up 52% during April and May, while the output of non-metallic mineral products is expected to increase by 51%.
Regarding the number of employees, relative stability is forecast. Industrial products' prices in the manufacturing sector are expected to increase by 6% in the next two months.
Construction managers expect a 32% rise in production volumes and a 10% increase in the number of employees. Also, they forecast a 12% rise in the prices of construction works during April and May.
Sales in services are expected to grow by 10% during the next two months. The number of employees is expected to grow moderately by 6%, while sales prices are expected to be relatively stable, according to the survey.
A total of 8,216 managers of Romanian-based companies from construction, manufacturing, retail, and services were interviewed in the survey.