According to the official numbers released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics, China’s April manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 49.2 percent. In terms of the company sizes, the PMIs of large, medium, and small companies are 49.3 percent, 49.2 percent and 49.0percent, respectively – all lower than March. The new orders sub-index was 48.8 percent, a decrease of 4.8 percentage points from the previous month, indicating that the demand in the manufacturing market has dropped. The raw material inventory sub-index was 47.9 percent, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from the previous month. This continued the decreasing trend. The employment sub-index was 48.8 percent, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points from the previous month.
In the meantime, Caixin just released its official Chinese Manufacturing PMI numbers for April. Caixin PMI is a well-respected economic indicator monitored globally by financial institutions. Caixin’s China Manufacturing PMI recorded 49.5 for April. With the release of the previous backlog of demand, China’s manufacturing industry returned to a contraction trend in April, reflecting that the recovery of the manufacturing industry is still not solid. Employment is also a prominent problem facing the Chinese economy, especially for young people.
Sources:
(1) National Bureau of Statistics, April 30, 2023
http://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202304/t20230429_1939136.html
(2) Caixin, May 4, 2023
https://pmi.caixin.com/2023-05-04/102042089.html