Manufacturing sales in Canada increased 1.2% in April, with the transportation equipment subsector leading the gains, according to an advance estimate by Statistics Canada. This early estimate was based on a weighted response rate of 64.7%, which is significantly lower than the 94.7% average final response rate seen over the previous 12 months. As a result, this preliminary figure is subject to higher revisions as more data is collected.
Statistics Canada's latest figures provide a positive contrast to March, where manufacturing sales had fallen 2.1% to C$69.9 billion due to significant declines in petroleum, coal products, and motor vehicles. The recent uptick suggests a potential recovery, especially in the transportation equipment subsector, which had previously experienced setbacks.
