Press Release 14/09/2021

SERVICE SECTOR INDEX. TRADE. II/2021

Sales in the Trade sector in the Basque Country in the second quarter of 2021 were 20% higher than those in the previous quarter

In the first quarter of 2021, Trade sector sales accumulated growth of 10.4%

In the second quarter of 2021 sales in the Trade sector, which encompasses Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, and Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles , increased by 20.0% in year-on-year terms, at constant prices and once corrected for calendar effects, according to Eustat data. In the year-to-date, the cumulative increase in sales stands at 10.4%.

In relation to the previous quarter and once corrected for seasonal effects, in the second quarter of 2021 sales were down 0.7%.

Within the Trade sector, the year-on-year trends in real sales were positive in all branches. Of particular note was the increase in Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles , which reached 38.7%. Sales grew by 20.6% in Wholesale Trade and by 16.1% in Retail Trade.

In quarter-on-quarter terms, second quarter compared to the first quarter of 2021, sales experienced a rise of 0.7% in Wholesale Trade, whereas they were down in the two remaining sectors: by 3.1% in Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles and by 0.5% in Retail Trade.

By province, Álava, with an increase of 27.3%, led the rise in sales in year-on-year terms, followed by Bizkaia with 20.1%. Finally, in Gipuzkoa, the year-on-year increase in sales stood at 16.3%.

In the cumulative total for the first quarter of 2021, it can be seen that Álava also led growth, with 16.1%; followed by Gipuzkoa with 9.6% and Bizkaia with 9.1%.

The index of people employed in the Trade sector in the Basque Country fell by 0.1% in relation to the second quarter of 2020. However, in respect of the first quarter of 2021 there was an increase of 1.2%.

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) 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 second quarter was calculated with 95.86% coverage.

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