The volume of industrial production fell by 0.1 per cent in May compared with the previous month, according to the latest CSO data.
The seasonally-adjusted figures showed that production was up 0.3 per cent compared with May last year.
The volume of production for the three months to May fells by 1.4 per cent on the previous quarter.
The “modern sector”, comprising the high tech and chemical sectors, showed an annual decrease in production of 1.5 per cent in the year to May.
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Industries in “traditional sector”, in contrast, recorded an increase in production of 4.4 per cent over the same period.
The CSO also said it had revised its figures for the first quarter of 2011 to reflect a 2.1 per cent annual decrease.