The services sector is a major part of the economy and it has been growing steadily for the past few months. However, there are some concerns about the impact of inflation on the sector. In this blog post, we will take a look at the services sector and discuss its recent performance.
The services sector is an important part of the economy and it makes up a large part of the gross domestic product (GDP). The sector includes a wide range of businesses, such as transportation, accommodation, food and drink, information and communication, finance, insurance, real estate, business services, and public administration.
The latest data shows that the services sector continued to expand in September, although the pace of growth slowed slightly due to growing worries about the impact of inflation. The AIB Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for services slipped to 54.1 from 54.7 in August, inching further below the long-run average level of 55.1 but well above the 50 level that marks growth in activity. Activity has grown consistently since March 2021, when the economy was emerging from a third Covid-19 lockdown, and is holding up much better than in the UK and euro zone, where flash services readings for September were in contraction territory at 49.2 and 48.9, respectively.
Overall, the services sector is doing well despite some concerns about inflation. The sector continues to grow and expand, albeit at a slower pace than earlier in the year. The good news is that activity is still holding up better than in other parts of Europe.