Output remains 7.4% below the pre-pandemic level in February 2020, and has fallen by 3.3% during the recent restrictions since October 2020.

In February there was growth in each of the production, construction and services sectors, but output remained relatively subdued while restrictions continued for many consumer services such as retail and hospitality.

Overall, output in the services sector grew by 1.0%, with the largest contribution to the increase coming from the education subsector due to the return to school for primary year groups 1 to 3 on 22 February.

Output in the production sector increased by 0.9% in February, including 0.2% growth in the manufacturing subsector. Output in the construction sector is estimated to have increased by 1.6% in February.