China’s factory activity has contracted for a second consecutive month, while growth in the service sector slowed, adding to signs of a slackening post-pandemic recovery in the world’s second-largest economy.The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index came in at 48.8 for May, compared with 49.2 in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The non-manufacturing PMI, which covers activity in the service sector and industries such as construction, was 54.5 in May, below the previous month’s figure of 56.4.

Economists said several months of manufacturing readings below 50, which indicates a contraction, would lead the government to consider stimulus policies to support the economy, which has struggled to maintain strong growth after Beijing relaxed draconian zero-Covid controls this year. Exports have also lagged, as global demand for Chinese goods has failed to pick up.