The head of Business New Zealand says the manufacturing sector may have turned a corner last month.
Phil O'Reilly says an index of manufacturing activity by the Bank of New Zealand and Business New Zealand showed signs of recovery even though manufacturers continued to cut activity for the fifth consecutive month.
Mr O'Reilly says the recent sharp fall in the New Zealand dollar will give manufacturers even more of a boost when the figures for August are released next month.
He says the figures show that employment in the sector continued to fall and a recovery in manufacturing jobs may lag recovery in activity levels.
