WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) – Growth in manufacturing activity in the United States slowed in April, possibly dampened by shortages amid high demand, shows the monthly survey by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM ) published on Monday.
The ISM manufacturing index was down to 60.7 having climbed to 64.7 in March, which marked its highest level since December 1983. Economists polled by Reuters on average expected a figure of 65.0.
Massive budget support and the extension of immunization to all adult Americans have led to an explosion in demand.
But manufacturers are struggling to respond, the pandemic having reduced the available workforce and caused shortages, which is pushing up the price of inputs.
A global semiconductor shortage is particularly disrupting the automotive and technology industries.
The new orders sub-index fell to 64.3 in April from 68.0 the previous month and the employment sub-index fell to 55.1 from 59.6.
The price-paid index for its part climbed to 89.6, the highest since July 2008, against 85.6 in March.
Another survey of manufacturing activity in the United States, that of IHS Markit, shows a slight acceleration in growth, the PMI index rising to 60.5 after 59.1 in March and 60.6 in a flash estimate “.
(Lucia Mutikani, French version, Laetitia Volga, edited by Patrick Vignal)
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