Taiwan's PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) of March stood at 60.6, up 10.3 points compared to that of February, according to CIER's (Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research) press release on April 1. Factors ascribed to the improvement include a lower baseline period in February that has less working days, and manufacturers' inventory replenishment due to rush orders. The sub-index "Employment" has improved for 16 consecutive months to reach 60.4, which indicates a recovery in Taiwan's job market. All of the six manufacturing industry categories saw growth in PMI reading: Electronic & Optical (64.7%), Electrical & Machinery Equipment (59.3%), Food & Textile (59.2%), Biological & Medical (58.8%), Basic Raw Materials (55.1%), and Transportation Equipment (53.8%).