DUBAI: Growth in the United Arab Emirates' non-oil private sector was off to a good start in 2019, rising to a seven-month high in January, a survey showed on Tuesday.

The seasonally adjusted Emirates NBD UAE Purchasing Managers' Index, which covers manufacturing and services, rebounded to 56.3 in January from 54.0 in December.

The output subindex rose to 63.0 from 58.8, hitting a five-month high, while the index for new orders rose to 60.9 from December's 58.3.

"The improvement in business activity was partly due to promotions and price discounting by firms," said Khatija Haque, Head of MENA Research at Emirates NBD.

Output prices fell in January for the eighth time in the past nine months, but the decline rate was marginal.

Despite the increase in output and new order volumes, the rate of job creation remained muted, as less than 3 percent of firms reported increased hiring in January.

(Reporting by Davide Barbuscia; Editing by Catherine Evans) ((Davide.Barbuscia@thomsonreuters.com; +971522604297; Reuters Messaging: davide.barbuscia.reuters.com@reuters.net))