The UniCredit Bank Austria Manufacturing PMI rose to 54.4 in August 2026 from 51.5 in July, its highest reading since May 2022, and stayed above the 50 expansion threshold for the sixth consecutive month. Output increased for the fourth month in a row, posting its strongest gain since January 2022, while new orders saw their sharpest rise in four-and-a-half years, driven by robust growth in export sales.
Manufacturers grew more optimistic about the outlook for the year ahead, with business confidence climbing to its highest level since just before the outbreak of the Middle East war in February. Employment increased for the first time in more than three years, and backlogs of work built up at the fastest rate since May 2022.
On the price front, input cost inflation edged higher for the first time in three months, and output price inflation also accelerated, although it remained below the recent peak recorded in May.
