Press Release 18/02/2016
The sales index of the services sector of the Basque Country rose by 1.9% in the fourth quarter of 2015
For the year overall services registered an upturn in sales of 2.2% and of 1.2% in employed personnel
The sales index of the services sector in the Basque Country rose by a nominal 1.9% in the fourth quarter of 2015 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 down a nominal 0.2%, once any seasonal effects had been eliminated.
By sectors, the trade sales index was up 1.7% in nominal terms in the fourth quarter of 2015, whilst for other services forming part of the index it was up 2.2% with regards to the same period of 2014.
Within trade, the Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles sector stood out for positive reasons, registering a nominal upturn of 11.7%. Wholesale Trade evidenced an upturn of 0.7% and Retail Trade increased by 1.2%.
Amongst the sectors that form Other services positive and negative rates are observed. The Hotel Management & Catering sector was up by 6.2%, Transport & Storage had a positive result of 4.2% and Information & Communications rose by 1.2%; Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities were down by 2.1% and Administrative Activities and Auxiliary Services experienced an 0.8% drop.
By province, the biggest rise of the sales index occurred in Bizkaia, where it was up 2.5%; in Álava it was up 1.8%, and in Gipuzkoa it rose by 1.0%.
In real terms, domestic trade sales rose by 2.3% 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 1.2% was registered, with regards to the same quarter of 2014 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 12.6%, the Wholesale trade index rose by 2.9% and the Retail trade index was up by 1.1%.
In the section of Other services, the sectors registered constant positive and negative variations in euros. The sales index of the Hotel Management & Catering sector rose by 5.4%, Transport & Storage rose by 3.3% and Information & Communications saw a growth of 0.3%, but that of Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities dropped by 3.2%, and the sales index of Administrative Activities and Auxiliary Services experienced a 2.1% drop.
The index of employed people in the services sector for the Basque Country in the fourth quarter of 2015 rose 0.5% on the third quarter of 2015.
ANNUAL BALANCE 2015
There was an accumulated nominal increase of 2.2% in sales in the services sector for the year overall.
By province, the greatest rise was recorded in Álava with an overall yearly increase of 3.0%; followed by Bizkaia with a rise of 2.1%, and Gipuzkoa, which grew by 1.9%, all at nominal rates. A breakdown by sector reveals that trade rose by 1.1% and other services did so by 3.8% with regards to the previous year.
In real terms, the sector as a whole registered an accumulated increase in 2015 of 2.6% for the Basque Country, with Álava rising by 4.0%, Gipuzkoa by 2.8% and Bizkaia by 2.2%. Trade overall rose by 2.3% and other services did so by 3.1%.
In 2015 employed people registered an increase of 1.2% on the average for the previous year.
Methodological note:
Trading companies previously not included have been incorporated into this sample frame, and some indexes have been recalculated. This has improved the representation in certain elementary series. Several series have therefore been reassessed at activity type level, as have their corresponding aggregations.
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
Databank on the services index of the Basque Country