MOSCOW, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Russian manufacturing sector shrank again in October after growing for the first time in over a year the previous month, the VTB Capital purchasing managers' index (PMI) showed on Monday.
The index's headline reading fell to 49.6 from 52.0 the previous month, slipping back below the 50.0 mark that separates expansion from contraction.
The data illustrates that Russia's recovery from its first recession in a decade is far from sure-footed.
"Breaking down the headline figure showed weaker positive effects from output, new orders and suppliers' delivery times, and stronger negative influences from employment and stocks of purchases," Markit, which produces the PMI for VTB Capital, said in a statement.
The employment index fell to 47.4 from September's 49.3, signalling an 18th consecutive month of job losses.
On the upside, new orders rose for a fourth month, signalling growing demand for Russian goods from a recovering global economy.
(Writing by Toni Vorobyova; editing by Stephen Nisbet)