![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/ba06\/live\/b6f6bb50-7120-11ef-b1e7-b5591311a118.jpg.webp\")
Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNorthern Ireland\u2019s services and manufacturing sectors continue to show contrasting performances, official data suggests.<\/p>\n Manufacturing output was down by 1.1% in the second quarter of this year, the eighth consecutive quarter of decline.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, service output grew by 0.4% in the same period to reach a record high.<\/p>\n Business services and finance continued to drive growth with a quarterly expansion of 2.9%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That sector has grown by more than 33% compared to its pre-pandemic level seen in the final quarter of 2019.<\/p>\n That is much faster than overall economic growth, which suggests it reflects the work that Northern Ireland-based employees are doing for GB and international customers.<\/p>\n Northern Ireland has some significant back office operations for global finance and professional service firms.<\/p>\n The largest domestic-focused service sector, retail and hospitality, saw output fall by 0.1% over the quarter.<\/p>\n The weakness was likely to be concentrated in retail as separate figures show retail sales fell by 0.6%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Within manufacturing, there were differences between subsectors with quarterly growth in food and pharmaceuticals.<\/p>\n The largest subsector, engineering and allied industries, saw output continue to decline and is now back to a level seen in the middle of 2022.<\/p>\n In July, one of NI\u2019s biggest engineering employers, Terex, said it was planning to cut around 100 jobs.<\/p>\n It said an \u201cextraordinary surge in demand\u201d for its products in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic had now “stabilised”.<\/p>\n Manufacturing has also suffered from the impact of energy prices and global supply chain disruptions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n