SERVICE SECTOR INDEX. III/2019

Sales were up 0.7% in the Trade Sector of the Basque Country and 0.8% in Other Services in the third quarter of 2019

Over the year to date, Trade sales rose by 1.5% and Other Services grew by 0.5%

The Trade sector, which comprises Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade and the Sale & Repair of Vehicles, saw an increase of 0.7% in the third quarter of 2019 in constant prices, whereas Other Services saw an increase in sales of 0.8%, all in relation to the same quarter of the previous year, according to data prepared by Eustat.

In the Other Services sector, the branch of Hotel Management & Catering led the growth, with an increase, in constant prices, of 3.2%, followed by Information & Communications, up 3.0%, Scientific & Technical Professional Activities, with an increase of 2.2% and Transport & Storage, with a rise of 0.1%; in contrast, the Administrative Activities & Auxiliary Services branch saw a drop of 5.1%.

Within Trade, the year-on-year performance was positive in Retail Trade, with an increase of 2.1%, and in Wholesale Trade, which was up 0.6%. However, the branch of Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles was down 4.5%.

Compared with the previous quarter, Trade sales remained constant (0.0%), and the Other Services sector grew by 0.4%, at constant prices and once any seasonal effects had been eliminated.

By province, the Trade sector registered an upward trend in real terms in Gipuzkoa, with an increase of 1.7%, and in Bizkaia, where it rose by 0.4%, while in Álava there was a fall of 0.6%. For Other Services as a whole, the evolution of the third quarter in real terms was positive in Álava, with growth of 2.8%, and in Gipuzkoa, with an increase of 2.7%, whereas in Bizkaia there was a drop of 0.8%. This is all in relation to the third quarter of 2018 once the price effect had been discounted.

Over the first nine months of the year as a whole, in constant prices, the Trade sector registered an increase of 1.5%, Wholesale Trade standing out with growth of 2.5%, whereas Other Services as a whole reached 0.5%, led by Transport & Storage with an accumulated increase of 1.9% so far this year.

The index of employed people in the Basque Country, in the year-on-year period, was up 1.1% in the Trade sector and 0.2% in Other Services.

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

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