The combined sectors struggled, with output per job falling 0.7% compared to the previous quarter and reversing the slight growth of between 0.2% to 0.4% that the paper and printing industries had shown from the third quarter of last year.

But the figures were broadly representative of the entire manufacturing sector, where productivity decreased 0.6%, although that was an improvement on the 1.9% fall during the previous quarter.

Manufacturing productivity has been in decline since the first quarter of 2001, although the whole of the UKs output rose 0.9%.

GPMU industrial and economic adviser David Tarren said the figures were in line with the unions observations: "It is a tough market at the moment, but if you look at the figures historically there were blips in productivity in 2001 and 2000. It could be that this will turn around in Q3 well have to wait and see."

BPIF head of corporate and external affairs Cicely Brown said the decline in the second quarter contradicted the BPIFs Directions survey for the same period, when many printers did better than expected.

"This decrease could be due to the seasonal nature of work in the industry. As an industry we depend on a business growth, which could have been weakened by holidays," said Brown.

Story by John Davies