In the first quarter this year, the Turnover Index of the Capital Goods group increased by 1.3 per cent from 150.8 in 2005 to 152.8 in 2006, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday. This group’s Employment Index increased by 1.1 per cent to 85.8 from 84.9 last year.

The Wages and Salaries Index increased by 3.8 per cent from 93.8 last year to 97.4 this year. The Hours Worked Index registered an increase of 1.6 per cent for the same period.

The Turnover Index of the Consumer Durable Goods group increased by 37.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2006, compared to the same quarter last year. Its Employment Index was down from 90.2 in 2005 to 87.4 in 2006, a fall of 3.1 per cent. In the same period, the Wages and Salaries Index and the Hours Worked Index increased by 0.1 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively.

In the first quarter of 2006, the Turnover Index of the Consumer Non-Durable Goods group rose by 14 per cent, from 94.8 last year to 108.1 this year. The Employment Index fell by 6.3 per cent, from 89.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2005 to 84 per cent in that of 2006.

In addition, the Wages and Salaries Index increased from 104.8 in 2005 to 107.6 in 2006, an increase of 2.7 per cent. The Hours Worked Index registered a fall of 6.1 per cent for the period under review.

The Energy group Turnover Index was down from 272.4 last year to 122.7 this year, a fall of 55 per cent. During the first quarter this year, the Employment Index and the Wages and Salaries Index recorded an increase of 1.5 per cent and 26.4 per cent respectively. The Hours Worked Index increased from 105.9 in 2005 to 128.6 in 2006, an increase of 21.4 per cent.

The Intermediate Goods category showed a 34.4 per cent increase in its Turnover Index, from 64.8 per cent in 2005 to 87.1 this year. Its Employment Index decreased by 8.4 per cent to 106.6 in 2006 from 116.4 last year. For the same period under review, the Wages and Salaries Index decreased by 8.6 per cent, from 121.5 in the first quarter 2005 to 111.1 in 2006. The Hours Worked Index, also, recorded a fall of 2.7 per cent in 2006 from 2005.

The Total Industry Turnover Index increased by 10.3 per cent, from 91.4 in 2005 to 100.8 in 2006. The Employment Index and the Wages and Salaries Index both registered an increase of 6.1 per cent for the period under review. The Hours Worked Index recorded an increase of 2.5 per cent, from 95.7 in 2005 to 98.1 in 2006