Firms in the chemical and electrical manufacturing sectors recorded strong productivity gains last year, figures released yesterday by the Central Statistics Office said.

The sectors accounted for a 78 per cent rise in production revenues and a 61 per cent rise of gross value added in the production process in 1999, it said.

The added value of production in the chemical sector rose to £7.48 billion (€9.59 billion) last year from £6.34 billion in 1998. Gross added value is defined as the production value less the value of purchases in the production process.

Added value rose in the electrical and optical equipment sector to £4.94 billion from £3.14 billion. Revenues rose to £19.24 billion from £13.29 billion.

In the computer-making sector, value added rose to £1.46 billion from £953 million in 1998. In the same period, revenues rose to £11.72 billion from £7.68 billion.

The figures also reflect a drop in the manufacture of clothes products. Turnover in the sector fell to £377 million from £403 million while gross value added fell to £146 million from £175 million. The number employed in the sector fell to 6,071 from 8,126.

All firms employing more than two people increased revenues by 19.7 per cent while gross added value rose by 25.8 per cent last year.

Early estimates from a census of industrial production last year showed revenues earned by companies with more than two workers rose to £64.25 billion from £53.67 billion in 1998.

The body said the gross added value generated rose to £23.3 billion from £18.52 billion.