Confidence levels among Dutch manufacturers showed a slight improvement in May, according to data released on Thursday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The producer sentiment index increased to -2.8 in May, up from -3.6 in March.
However, this latest figure remains below the long-term average of -1.3.
According to the survey, manufacturers expressed greater optimism regarding expected activity and were slightly less pessimistic about their order positions.
The electrical and machinery sectors exhibited the highest levels of positivity in May.
In contrast, manufacturing output in the Dutch industry was 6.0 percent lower in March compared to the same period last year.
