Press release 13/09/2019

SERVICE SECTOR INDEX. II/2019

Sales were up 0.9% in the Trade Sector of the Basque Country and 0.5% in Other Services in the second quarter of 2019

The Wholesale Trade and Transport & Storage Subsectors showed the highest growth

The Trade sector, which comprises Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade and the Sale & Repair of Vehicles, saw an increase of 0.9% in the second quarter of 2019 in constant terms, whereas the sectors that come under Other Services saw an increase in sales of 0.5%, all in relation to the same quarter of the previous year, according to data prepared by Eustat.

In the Other Services sector, the sales index rose by 3.4%, at constant prices, for the branch of Transport & Storage, followed by Hotel Management & Catering, up 1.9%, and Scientific and Technical Professional Activities, with an increase of 0.1%. In contrast there were two branches that showed a negative trend in this second quarter: Administrative Activities & Auxiliary Services, down 4.0%; and Information and Communications, with a fall of 3.8%.

Within Trade, the year-on-year performance was positive in Wholesale Trade, with an increase of 2.1%, and in Retail Trade, which was up 0.8%. However, the branch of Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles was down 4.9%.

Compared with the previous quarter, Trade sales remained constant (0.0%), and the Other Services sector grew by 0.3%, at constant prices and once any seasonal effects had been eliminated.

By province, the Trade sector registered an upward trend in real terms in the three provinces. There was growth of 1.4% in Álava, 1.1% in Gipuzkoa and 0.5% in Bizkaia. For Other Services as a whole, performance in the second quarter in real terms was positive in Gipuzkoa, with an increase of 3.9%, whereas in Älava and Bizkaia there were decreases of 0.8% and 0.9%, respectively; all in relation to the second quarter of 2018 once the price effect had been discounted.

The index of employed people in the Basque Country, in the year-on-year period, was up 0.7% in the Trade sector and down 2.8% in Other Services. Compared to the first quarter of 2019, the index dropped 0.2% in the Trade sector and was down 1.0% in Other Services, all in deseasonalised terms.

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