Irish manufacturing output fell 0.6 per cent in November amid concerns about the strength of the global economy, particularly China’s underlying health.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), however, show production on an annual basis rose by 11.3 per cent.

The seasonally adjusted volume of industrial production for manufacturing industries for the three months to November was also 3.8 per cent higher than the preceding period.

The “modern” sector, comprising high-tech and pharma companies, showed a monthly decrease in production of 1.5 per cent in July.

The CSO cautioned that volatility of the production and turnover indices for the sector reflected the changes from month to month in production patterns, product mix, sales, pricing and stock building or reduction.

On annual basis, production in the modern sector rose 14 per cent.

There was a monthly increase of 0.9 per cent in the “traditional” sector for November and an annual increase of 7.9 per cent.