DALLAS, June 25 (UPI) -- The Dallas Federal Reserve Bank said Texas manufacturing rose sharply in June, with increases in productivity and new orders.
The production index in Texas, which produces more than 9 percent of the nation's manufactured goods, rose to 15.5 from 5.5 in May.
Any figure above zero indicates growth. Below zero shows contraction.
The critical new orders index for June rose to 7.9 after three months of reading near zero "suggesting demand finally grew after staying flat since February," the Fed said.
The employment index rose from 8.5 to 13.7, with 21 percent of firms reporting they were hiring and 8 percent indicating they were laying off workers.
The average work-week index came to 1, indicating little change in the hours worked in Texas factories.
The wages and benefits index slowed but remained positive, dropping from 20 to 13.2.
Information for the survey was gathered June 12-20 and included 91 respondents, the Fed said.
