Press Release 13/05/2021

SERVICE SECTOR INDEX. TRADE. I/2021

Wholesale trades sales in the Basque Country increased by 1.9% in the first quarter of 2021 in year-on-year terms

Compared to the previous quarter, Trade rose by 1.0%

The Trade sector, which comprises Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, and Sale & Repair of Vehicles, was up 1.9% in constant prices, once corrected for calendar effects and at constant prices, in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the same quarter of the previous year, according to Eustat data.

In relation to the previous quarter and once corrected for seasonal effects, in the first quarter of 2021 sales were up 1.0%.

Within Trade, the year-on-year evolution of real sales was positive in the branches of Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles (8.2%) and Wholesale Trade (2.7%), whereas Retail Trade sales were down 0.4%. It should be borne in mind that on 14 March 2020 a state of emergency was decreed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant trade sector activity changed significantly.

In relation to the previous quarter sales recovered by 1.9% in Wholesale Trade and by 1.2% in Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles. As regards Retail Trade, in quarter-on-quarter terms sales were unchanged (0.0%)

By province, in Álava sales increased by 4.9% and in Gipuzkoa sales were up 3.4% in year-on-year terms. In Bizkaia, however, there was no change whatsoever in relation to the first quarter of 2020.

Similarly, compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, Gipuzkoa showed a recovery of 2.2%, Álava of 1.2% and, finally, Bizkaia of 0.2%.

The index of people employed in the Trade sector in the Basque Country fell by 3.2% in the year-on-year period between the first quarters of 2020 and 2021, which represented a decrease of 0.8% in respect of the fourth quarter of 2020.

NOTE:

Included as persons employed considered in this and other short-term indices, are those covered by an ERTE (Temporary Labour Force Adjustment Plan), following the definition of persons employed indicated by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) in its manual Methodology of Short Term Business Statistics.

The models used in the correction of calendar effects and deseasonalisation of the series include the effect of COVID-19 on the variables studied, following the recommendations of the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) (Eurostat) in its methodological note Guidance on Time Series Treatment in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.

Eustat would like to thank all the establishments that have collaborated in making this effort despite the circumstances. As a result, the index for the first quarter was calculated with 93.20% coverage of the sample – whose information was collected during April.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tel: 945 01 75 62