Industrial production plunged by over 13 percent in 2009

Industrial production in the Czech Republic dropped by 13.4 percent in 2009, according to government figures released on Thursday. However, last December registered an increase in industry output of 1.8 percent year on year. The plunge was mainly driven by a drop in machinery production which plunged by more than 27 percent. The country’s automobile industry decreased by 10.2 percent last year. The average monthly wages in Czech industrial firms rose by 3.6 percent to nearly 24,000 crowns, or 1,200 US dollars.