MADRID, 18 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The services sector raised its turnover by 1.2% last May compared to the same month in 2022, which is five tenths above that registered in April, as reported on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
With the advance in May, the services chained 27 consecutive months of year-on-year increases, although that of May was the least pronounced of that entire period.
The trade invoiced last May 1.2% less than in the same month of 2022, due to the fact that the wholesale trade cut its sales by 7.4% year-on-year. In contrast, the sale and repair of vehicles and motorcycles had a turnover of 17.3% more than in May 2022, and retail trade, 8.8% more.
For their part, other services increased their sales by 6.2% year-on-year in May driven by administrative activities (11%), professional activities (10.7%) and hotels, which billed 8.5% more.
Sales in information and communications also increased, with an increase of 6% compared to May 2022 and, in addition, they increased by 0.1% in transport and storage.
Within the hotel industry, accommodation services increased their sales by 13.3%, while food and beverage services billed 6.2% more than in May 2022.
By activities, the greatest increases in sales were recorded by travel agencies and tour operators (32.2%) and air transport, which increased by 22.5%.
MONTHLY INCREASE OF 0.4%.
In monthly terms (May over April) and seasonally and calendar-adjusted data, in the fifth month of the year the services sector recorded a monthly increase in sales of 0.4%, thus breaking two consecutive months of falls ( -0.3% in March and -0.1% in April).
If seasonal and calendar effects are eliminated, trade fell 0.4%, while other services rose 0.6%, according to data from the Statistical Institute.
By sectors, transport and storage (2.5%) and sale and repair of vehicles and motorcycles (2.4%) presented the greatest increases. For their part, hotel and catering (-3.2%) and wholesale trade and trade intermediaries (-0.5%) registered the largest decreases.
OCCUPATION GROWS.
Employment in the services sector grew last May, and it did so at a year-on-year rate of 1.7%, a rate four tenths lower than that of April, which has been growing since April 2021.
Employment rose 1.6% in commerce and 1.8% in other services. The greatest growth in commerce was registered in retail trade (1.6%), while in other services the greatest increase occurred in information and communications (4.6%), compared to a fall of -0.9 % in administrative activities and auxiliary services.
By autonomous community, the Balearic Islands was the one that increased job creation in the service sector the most last May, with a year-on-year rise of 5.8%. The monthly increase was 9.9% while on average so far this year the increase in occupancy stands at 6.2%.
In the annual rate, the only Community that decreased its occupation was Cantabria (-1.3%), while in the monthly rate the decrease occurred in the Canary Islands (-0.1%).
