Vietnam PMI February 2025 – manufacturing purchasing managers index

Cimigo
Mar 04, 2025

New orders fall for second month running amid subdued demand

  • Output and new orders continue to fall.
  • Employment decreases for fifth successive month.
  • Selling prices lowered as cost inflation eases.

Cimigo Vietnam market research has collected the Vietnam PMI – manufacturing purchasing managers index since 2013. S&P Global compiles the Vietnam PMI S&P Global from responses to monthly questionnaires sent to purchasing managers in a panel of around 400 manufacturers.

Download the report here

Vietnam PMI findings

Vietnam PMI February 2025

The muted start to 2025 for the Vietnamese manufacturing sector continued into February, with weak demand leading to further reductions in new orders and production. As a result, firms scaled back employment again. On the price front, the pace of input cost inflation eased to a 19-month low and charges were reduced for the second month running.

The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI®) was below the 50.0 no-change mark for the third consecutive month in February, despite rising slightly to 49.2 from 48.9 in January. The latest reading was reflective of a slight deterioration in business conditions over the course of the month.

After having fallen for the first time in four months during January, new orders decreased again in February. The rate of contraction was modest but quickened to the fastest since last September. Panellists reported demand weakness both domestically and internationally. Muted export demand was highlighted by a further solid decline in new business from abroad, the fourth reduction in as many months.

In line with the picture for new orders, manufacturing production also decreased for the second successive month in February. 

Shortages of new work also led some firms to hold off on replacing departing staff, thereby resulting in a fifth consecutive fall in employment. The rate of job cuts eased from January, however.

Download the report here

Vietnam PMI Trend February 2025

Despite the reduction in workforce numbers, there remained evidence of spare capacity in the sector amid falling new orders. Outstanding business decreased markedly, and to the largest extent in 16 months.

Bucking the wider trends across the sector during February, purchasing activity increased slightly. In some cases, rising input buying reflected confidence in the upcoming path of manufacturing output. In fact, business confidence strengthened for the second month in a row to the highest since June last year. Firms hope for stable economic conditions to support an improvement in new orders and thus production growth.

Another factor behind the rise in purchasing activity seen in February was a desire to make sure materials were secured amid uncertainty around availability and supply-chain delays. Suppliers’ delivery times lengthened again, continuing the sequence of deteriorating vendor performance which began in September 2024. Moreover, the latest lengthening of lead times was marked and the most pronounced in five months. Panellists reported issues with both the availability and speed of transportation.

Delivery delays, plus the use of inputs to support production, meant that stocks of purchases continued to fall despite an increase in buying. Stocks of finished goods were also down amid falling production and efforts to draw down inventories amid lower new orders.

As well as reporting shortages of transportation, firms also indicated that freight costs increased. Alongside higher raw material prices, this meant that input costs rose again in February. That said, the pace of inflation was the weakest in the current 19-month sequence of increase and below the series average.

In contrast to the rise in input costs, manufacturers lowered their selling prices for the second consecutive month in response to a weak demand environment. The fall was slight but faster than in January.

Approach

The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing PMI® is compiled by S&P Global from responses to monthly questionnaires sent to purchasing managers in a panel of around 400 manufacturers. The panel is stratified by detailed sector and company workforce size, based on contributions to GDP.

Survey responses are collected by Cimigo Vietnam in the second half of each month and indicate the direction of change compared to the previous month. A diffusion index is calculated for each survey variable. The index is the sum of the percentage of ‘higher’ responses and half the percentage of ‘unchanged’ responses.

The indices vary between 0 and 100, with a reading above 50 indicating an overall increase compared to the previous month, and below 50 an overall decrease. The indices are then seasonally adjusted.

Indonesia’s economy 2024

Feb 28, 2025

Resilient growth amid challenges Indonesia’s economy continued to expand in 2024 despite global

Vietnam consumer trends 2025

Feb 23, 2025

Vietnam consumer trends 2025 Vietnam consumer trends 2025 explores the eight reasons Vietnam will

Beyond beauty: The changing face of personal care in Indonesia

Jan 27, 2025

The personal care market in Indonesia is undergoing a significant transformation, with consumers