Activity in the State's manufacturing sector improved slightly in June, according to NCB's latest purchasing managers' index (PMI).
The PMI, which measures the health of the manufacturing industry, was 50.7, compared to 50.3 last month. The increase was mainly due to an increase in new orders.
NCB chief economist Dermot O'Brien said some of the more crucial elements of the PMI boded well for the future, with new orders up sharply and exports expanding for the first time since February.
"In particular, new orders rose quite sharply and export orders expanded for the first time in four months. While employment declined again, the extent of the slippage was minor and less than in May," he said.
"In addition, inflationary pressures eased, with the pace of increase in output prices the lowest in 14 months."