In the first quarter 2006, total sales by manufacturing enterprises increased by Lm19.5 million or 9.0 per cent to Lm237.7 million from Lm218.2 million a year earlier, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

During the period under review, sales by the radio, TV and communication equipment manufacturing sub-sector registered an increase of Lm25.8 million or 28.3 per cent to Lm116.9 million from Lm91.1 million last year. At the same time, increases in sales of Lm5.2 million and Lm2.2 million respectively were also registered by the Chemicals and chemical products and

the Furniture and Manufacturing NEC sub-sectors.

The publishing and printing sub-sector registered a drop in its sales of Lm4.1million or 30.1 per cent to Lm9.5 million from Lm13.6 million last year. Other drops in sales of Lm3.4 million and Lm2.7 million respectively were registered in the textiles and textile products and the electrical machinery and apparatus sub-sectors.

In the course of the first quarter of 2006, employment in the sampled enterprises declined by a net of 1,337 employees to 18,370 when compared to 19,707 of the first quarter the year before. Most of the job losses were registered in the Textiles and textile products (625 employees), the Wearing apparel and clothes (346 employees), the Rubber and plastic products (252 employees) and the Leather and leather products (100 employees) manufacturing sub-sectors.

An increase in employment of 97 employees and 48 employees was recorded in the chemicals and chemical products and in furniture and Manufacturing NEC sub-sectors, respectively.

In the period under review an amount of Lm29.4 million was paid out in gross wages and salaries by the sampled enterprises.

During the January-March quarter 2006, overall investment in manufacturing industry increased by Lm4.4 million to Lm16.7 million compared to Lm12.3 million in the same period of the previous year.