In March, new business expansion reached its fastest rate since December, thanks to improving underlying demand and efforts to boost new orders. This increase in new business also contributed to a rise in business confidence, with the subindex of future activity increasing for the first time in three months. Hopes for new product lines, expansion plans, and higher client budgets were cited as factors that could help boost sales.
Despite the positive developments in sales and business confidence, employment levels continued to shrink for a second consecutive month. However, the rate of job shedding eased from February due to resignations among staff and redundancies aimed at improving productivity.
Both the manufacturing and services sectors saw accelerated growth in supply and demand, with improved exports and sustained market optimism. This positive trend, combined with the upbeat Caixin manufacturing PMI, contributed to the composite PMI rising to 52.7 last month from 52.5 in February, marking the highest reading since May 2023. Economist Wang Zhe noted that while employment continued to contract in both sectors, input and output prices remained low, suggesting that sluggish demand persisted.
