Ongoing efforts to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to sharp declines in output and employment across the major developed world economies for a third successive month in May, according to the latest business survey data, but rates of decline showed a welcome easing, in part due to some lifting of virus containment measures.
IHS Markit's 'flash' PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index) surveys provide the first internationally comparable insights into business conditions each month. The surveys had shown record declines in output, demand and employment globally in April as countries ramped up their efforts