Scottish Government have recently published Index of Production statistics showing the Scottish Textiles, Clothing and Leather products sector recovered strongly in q2 2015 to 92.8 on the index (with 2010 = 100). This upturn has followed four successive quarters of decline in the sector that have seen the sector production decline by 14 per cent on the index to the start of 2015.
Indeed, since 2010, the sector in Scotland has been on a rollercoaster growing by almost a quarter between the start on 2010 and early 2011 before falling back significantly in 2012 and 2014.
The index findings are significant as it bucked the trend reported in both manufacturing generally and wider productivity within the Scottish economy which saw slight falls.
Figure 1: Scottish Index of Production (2010 = 100)
Source: Scottish Government