Press Release 18/02/2015
The sales index of the services sector of the Basque Country rose by 3.4% in the fourth quarter of 2014
For the year overall services registered an upturn in sales of 1.7% after three years of negative rates
The sales index of the services sector in the Basque Country rose by a nominal 3.4% in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to the same period of the previous year, in homogenous terms of the working calendar and according to data provided by Eustat.
Compared to the previous quarter, the sales index was up a nominal 1.0%, once any seasonal effects had been eliminated.
By sectors, the trade sales index was up 2.3% in nominal terms in the third quarter of 2014, whilst for other services forming part of the index it was up 5.0% with regards to the same period of 2013.
Within trade, the Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles sector stood out for positive reasons, registering a nominal upturn of 6.7%. Wholesale Trade evidenced an upturn of 2.4% and Retail Trade increased by 1.3%.
There were positive rates of varying degrees in all of the sectors that make up Other Services. In Transport & Storage the rise was 7.9%; in Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities the positive result was 5.4%; in Administrative Activities and Auxiliary Services it was 3.3%; and in Hotel Management and in Information & Communications there were rises of 2.2% in both cases.
By province, the biggest rise of the sales index occurred in Gipuzkoa, where it was up 4.9%; in Álava it was up 3.2%, and in Bizkaia it rose by 2.5%.
In real terms, domestic trade sales rose by 3.7% in the fourth quarter once the price effect had been eliminated
Within the Trade sector, the sales index was up by 3.0% and in other services an increase of 4.4% was registered, with regards to the same quarter of 2013 and at constant prices.
The year-on-year evolutions within Trade were positive for all sectors: the Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles sector was up by 7.2%, the Wholesale trade index rose by 3.1% and the Retail trade index was up by 2.0%.
In the Other Services section, all of the sectors also registered rises in constant euros. The sales index of the Transport & Storage sector was up by 6.8%; that of Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities grew by 4.8%; Information & Communications rose by 3.9%; Administrative Activities & Auxiliary Services by 2.2%, and the sales index of Hotel Management & Catering saw a rise of 1.7%.
The index of employed people in the services sector in the Basque Country in the fourth quarter of 2014 was down by 0.5% on the third quarter of 2014.
ANNUAL BALANCE 2014
For the year overall the services sector registered an accumulated nominal increase of sales of 1.7% after three years of negative rates.
By province, the greatest rise was recorded in Gipuzkoa, with an overall yearly increase of 3.4%; followed by Bizkaia, with a rise of 1.0%; and Álava, which grew by 0.4%, all at nominal rates. A breakdown by sector reveals that trade rose by 1.4% and other services did so by 2.1% with regards to the previous year.
In real terms, the sector as a whole registered an accumulated increase in 2014 of 1.7% for the Basque Country, with Gipuzkoa rising by 3.4%, Bizkaia by 1.1% and Álava by 0.4%. Trade overall rose by 1.9% and other services did so by 1.4%.
Employed personnel registered a 1.6% downturn in 2014 with respect to the previous year.
Methodological note: The following activities form part of the population coverage of the Services Sector Index according to the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE 2009):
Trade: Wholesale Trade (division 46), Retail Trade (division 47), and Sales & Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles (division 45).
Other Services: Transport & Storage (section H), Hotel Management & Catering (section I), Information & Communications (section J), Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities (part of section M), and Administrative Activities & Auxiliary Services (part of section N).
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel: 945 01 75 62
Press releases on the Internet on the services index of the Basque Country (SI)
Databank on the services index of the Basque Country (SI)