Manufacturing sales fell 0.6 per cent in May, Statistics Canada reports

OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales fell for a second consecutive month in May as the machinery, chemical and fabricated metal industries declined.

The agency says manufacturing sales fell 0.6 per cent to $57.9 billion in May.

The drop came as machinery sales, which hit a record high in April, fell 16.9 per cent to $3.1 billion, mainly due to lower sales of agricultural, construction and mining machinery.

Chemical sales dropped 2.0 per cent to $5.2 billion, while fabricated metal sales fell 1.8 per cent to $3.6 billion in May.

Meanwhile, wood product sales rose 6.1 per cent to a record $5.4 billion in May, helped by higher prices. The primary metal industry also gained 3.6 per cent to reach a record $4.9 billion, also helped by higher prices.

Statistics Canada says sales in constant dollars fell 2.5 per cent in May, indicating a lower volume of goods sold for the month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 14, 2021.